‘I couldn’t open my eyes’ – Norrie’s next opponent Jarry

Wimbledon 2025

Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club

Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage guide.

There were emotional hugs with his family for Nicolas Jarry as he celebrated reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon after a “year of battles” with his eyesight.

It was a significant moment for the Chilean world number 143, who plays Cameron Norrie – the last British player left in the men’s singles – in front of what will be a partisan Court One crowd on Sunday.

Just over a year ago, Jarry woke up and could not open his eyes, struggling with a persistent rolling sensation that affected his vision.

It was not the first time he had experienced it – but this time, it was worse.

The 29-year-old was suffering from vestibular neuritis, a condition caused by inflammation of a nerve that connects the ear to the brain.

Symptoms include the sudden onset of vertigo, dizziness and difficulty maintaining balance.

“I remember that I was trying to type in my phone and I couldn’t,” he told BBC 5 Live.

“I couldn’t open my eyes because everything was rolling so much.

“I started crying immediately, to lose things that are so obvious, so natural.”

• Tearful champion Krejcikova knocked out of Wimbledon
• Classy Sinner cruises into fourth round
• Raducanu does not trust ‘dodgy’ electronic line calls

When Jarry’s symptoms began, he was ranked inside the world’s top 20 and on the rise, having reached the Rome Masters final, where he was beaten by Alexander Zverev.

Jarry was told it would take three weeks to recover but still has episodes a year on. Tennis is a good form of rehabilitation, given the hand-eye coordination it requires, but he has struggled for wins, falling to 143 in the world and suffering six successive first-round Grand Slam exits.

He recalled feeling like everything was “moving like a tornado” in Rome, but it quickly dissipated.

A similar feeling at the French Open before a match left him “not connecting with the ball” and “reading the game bad” before he returned home to Chile, where he experienced the worst incident to date.

Jarry also plays table tennis to help with his recovery, and a positive run at Wimbledon can only be encouraging.

Emotional on court after beating teenage talent Joao Fonseca in four sets on Friday, Jarry said: “It’s amazing to put in my best performance here at Wimbledon, my favourite tournament of all.”

There is a reason this tournament means so much to him.

This run to the fourth round matches that of his grandfather Jaime Fillol, who reached the same stage at Wimbledon in 1974.

“I came here with him when I was 10 and 11 years old. Since then, I’m in love with this tournament,” Jarry said.

“It has been very tough physically, emotionally, psychologically.

“I have been trying to get back to my level and trusting myself again.”