The work aims to analyze the time delay damage of a single cherry tomato caused by drop impact under subcritical load, and the effect of such damage on fruits’ breathing intensity. With cherry tomatoes as the research object, a few groups of drop height experiments were designed to analyze the relationship between damage degree and drop height, so as to find out the critical drop height. Contrast experiments at different heights below the critical height were designed. Then the cherry tomatoes dropped were placed in the airtight fresh boxes. CO2/O2 concentration under the same conditions were measured at intervals. Finally, a figure of the relationship between the drop height and the respiratory rate was drawn. The mathematical models concerning the relationship between subcritical load strength and breathing intensity were fitted according to the data. The respiratory rate of cherry tomato subjected to damage and impact was changed below the critical height; at the beginning of storage, the higher the drop height was, the faster the respiratory rate of cherry tomato decreased; and it eventually tended to balance. The higher the drop height was, the greater the respiratory rate was. The results of this study will have important values in improving the packaging of the fruits.