Revealed, Norrie’s secret weapon in Novak showdown
BRITISH star Cameron Norrie is single-handedly carrying the hopes of the nation as he faces the biggest match of his life against defending champion Novak Djokovic today.
But it would appear the country has his girlfriend Louise Jacobi to thank for his stunning run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Despite admitting she didn’t know how to keep score when she first met him, the 32-year-old interior designer has been credited for her ‘calming’ influence on the new home favourite.
Those close to him say Miss Jacobi has helped the star – only the fourth British man in the Open era to reach the final four at Wimbledon – mature into the player he is today.
When asked about his game against the 20-time grand slam winner, she said: ‘It’s definitely going to be a tough match. But I know he can do it.’
Miss Jacobi said she almost ended the romance before it began when they were introduced in a New York bar three years ago. The American said she initially ‘just wasn’t interested’ in the 26-year-old, who had been studying at Texas Christian University (TCU), because he was constantly away on tennis tours.
Luckily, Norrie’s ‘persistence’ and the fact he did ‘an amazing job at keeping in touch’ kept their connection going.
But it was in October 2019, when Miss Jacobi’s former employer went bust and she lost her job, that their relationship really flourished. Norrie asked her to join him at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria, and, as Miss Jacobi now says, losing her job turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
She said: ‘I went on this trip and was only supposed to be in Vienna for five days, and things just went really well. In some weird way, I was like: “Thank God I got laid off when I did”, because we were able to build the foundation of our relationship before Covid hit.’
Miss Jacobi was in tears as Norrie, whose father David was born in Glasgow, triumphed in the quarter finals against Belgium’s David Goffin on Tuesday. She said: ‘It was surreal. When your significant other is crying in front of you – like choking up – how could I keep a dry eye?
‘I remember him saying when we first met: “Oh, my dream would be to be in the top ten”. Back then I didn’t know it was going to transpire, and just watching his hard work pay off has been insane.’
He became British No1 after winning the ATP tournament at Indian Wells last October and broke into the world top ten for the first time in April.
When asked what he is like off the court, Miss Jacobi said: ‘Similar to on the court, in the sense that he’s very calm, very level-headed, easy-going and takes things as they come.’