Super cool Cam seizes the moment
Norrie plays big points brilliantly to set up Goffin quarter-final clash
OnLY in the moment of victory did it look like Cam norrie’s pulse rate might have just broken into double figures. Cantering into the middle of Court one he pumped his fist twice to celebrate making his first Grand Slam quarter-final, a rare display of emotion from the most laid-back man in south-west London.
It was slightly reminiscent of victorious reactions from his fellow left-hander Rafael nadal. So had been his performance in its thumping baseline efficiency, with deft touches thrown in to mix things up.
The defeated American Tommy Paul knew exactly what to expect, given that they are regular practice partners and dinner companions on tour, but he was powerless to stop a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 drubbing.
The reward for norrie is a match in the last eight against Belgium’s David Goffin, the world no 58 who overcame Frances Tiafoe in five sets. At his peak, Goffin was the main obstacle for Britain when they won the Davis Cup final in 2015, but at 31 he has slid well outside the top 10.
It looks a good opportunity for norrie to set up a potential semifinal with novak Djokovic, who looms on their side of the draw.
There were 17 Brits who started out in the singles a week ago, and there is little surprise that it is the most consistent of them on a weekly basis who is the last left standing.
By the time he walked on court the penultimate survivor, Heather watson, had gone from the fourth round of the women’s singles. She generously articulated why there is much goodwill for norrie among his domestic peers, as there has been since he moved to the uk at 16 from new Zealand armed with his British passport.
‘I’ve been impressed with Cam for so long,’ she said. ‘He is so low-key, under the radar. He deserves more attention because he’s such a great example. He is everything that your coaches and your parents would ask of you. His work ethic, his focus, dedication, how he invests in himself, and he’s a great person as well.’
The 26-year-old British no 1 shares with his predecessor Andy Murray a devotion to duty and — although it may be less obvious — a natural athleticism.
where he differs is in his Sphinxlike demeanour on court. Murray always invites you to share his pain or his elation, norrie keeps calm and carries on regardless of what the scoreboard might be saying. He has less tools in his box than some of the players he competes alongside at the very top of the game, but he knows exactly how and when to use them. His dragged backhand would not win straight 10s for elegance, but it is extremely reliable.
A crestfallen Paul made this observation afterwards: ‘It’s always a tough match with norrie, it’s always going to be a pretty competitive war, a grind with him.
‘He plays into his strengths, and actually the way he does it is his biggest strength. He plays the lefty patterns well.
‘You always know how he’s going to play, and I mean, he’s good at it. He’s a friend and I’m happy for him, but gutted for myself.’
Given their camaraderie, and norrie’s horizontal nature, there was never any danger that this would resemble the Court 1 match that had taken place the previous evening between Australia’s nick kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
‘It was a good match. I enjoyed watching it, the level was really high and good viewing, but I don’t think I’ll be doing that,’ said norrie of the various excesses on show in that match.
He credits his placid temperament partly on having attended college in Texas ahead of turning professional, allowing him to mature at his own pace.
‘I was able to do normal stuff and live a more normal life before all this, which I love now. I’m glad that I got all that out the system.’
He is a good advert for a route into the game that is increasingly coming back into fashion and being followed by others.
His steady progress up the rankings to the cusp of the top 10, a level nobody initially expected of him, has allowed him to live his nomadic existence in relative anonymity, even when at home in Putney, south-west London.
That will further change if he is still around at the back end of the week, which is eminently possible.
norrie, who was cheered on by his Scottish father David and welsh mother Helen, showed yesterday what those on the tour have seen — that he has constantly upgraded areas of his technique. The most obvious of those was the forehand, which he looks to have flattened out a little for the grass. It helped him break the American early in all three sets.
‘I’ve improved a lot and matured on the court and kept progressing with my team,’ said norrie. ‘If you watch me in 2017 here, I wasn’t very patient. I’ve definitely improved mentally over the years and I’m way more mature as a player, and I think it shows.
‘I’ve stayed patient with myself and embraced the grass surface — it’s probably my favourite surface now and this gives me a lot of confidence.
‘Even there (when he was serving for the match) I was going through different scenarios in my head. I was able to stay calm and close it out.’
The key to coming through a deceptively close encounter was his ability to play the big points better. Paul had seven break points but was only able to snaffle one of them, when norrie failed to serve out the second set at 5-4.
That was the only serious hitch and he has now won three of his four matches in straight sets. He should have plenty in what is already one of the largest tanks on the ATP Tour, given his renowned natural fitness levels.
As Goffin on the back of his marathon match will be aware, he is not someone you want to get involved with in a physical battle.