Norrie out to silence Paris crowd in showcourt clash with home favourite Pouille
Cameron Norrie insists he is ready to take on French opponent Lucas Pouille and a partisan Paris crowd.
British No 3 Norrie faces home favourite and 15th seed Pouille in the second round of the French Open today. This time last year Norrie had only just turned professional, was world No 243 and was playing in a challenger event at Surbiton.
However, 12 months on the 22-year-old is now ranked 85th and will step out on the Roland Garros showcourt Philippe Chatrier.
And rather than be fazed by the challenge, Norrie, whose first-round opponent Peter Gojowczyk retired injured at 6-1, 2-0 down, is out to silence the crowd.
“I love being the underdog and all the pressure is on him,” he said.
“So it’s going to be a battle and hopefully I’ll come out on top. But it’s going to be a good challenge for me.
“I know it’s going to be tough against Pouille and it’s going to be real physical, and I’m sure I’ll be a little bit nervous. I’ll be on a big court.
“But I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s just another great experience.”
Pouille is an undoubted step up in class, however Norrie has already proved he can live with top-20 players after recent wins over Roberto Bautista Agut, in the Davis Cup, and John Isner on his way to the semi-finals at last week’s Lyon Open. He can also pick the brains of fellow Briton Kyle Edmund, who beat Pouille on the clay of Rome just a fortnight ago.
“For sure I’ll ask Kyle to see what he thinks,” added . “I also remember watching Kyle in Davis Cup against him. It was a good match.
“Kyle’s played him a couple times, so he would be a good person to ask.”