Staying at school in Auckland helped Cameron Norrie achieve tennis dream
Kiwi-raised star wanted a natural upbringing, despite his talent, and for him that meant staying at Macleans College. By David Long.
If there’s a reason why Cameron Norrie is enjoying so much success and remains grounded while doing so, it could be down to his schooling in New Zealand.
Norrie reached the semifinals at Wimbledon this year, is currently ranked No 9 in the world and will go into this week’s US Open as the No 7 seed.
The Auckland-raised Norrie, who’ll be back at the ASB Classic in January, became a household name during this year’s Wimbledon, going from relative obscurity outside those who follow the sport, to someone who was carrying the hopes of a nation during the two weeks of the year when Brits are obsessed with tennis.
He started the tournament very much in the shadows of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu, but as they and other local players fell by the wayside more focus, and then hype, went towards Norrie.
So much so that by the time he played Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, ‘Henman Hill’ had been renamed ‘Norrie Knoll’.
He lives in Putney, not far from Wimbledon, and is gradually converting from a Newcastle United fan to a Fulham supporter, who play just the other side of the River Thames.
Even though he’s recognised more Norrie continues to live as close to an ordinary life as he can.
But that’s always been his way. He continued going to Macleans College in East Auckland as he came up through the junior ranks, getting to No 10 in the world.
Most other juniors of his ability move to a private school, choose to be homeschooled, or head to an academy in Europe or the United States and live a life that consists of little outside hitting fuzzy yellow balls. But not Norrie.
‘‘It was important to have a more normal life,’’ Norrie said.
‘‘I was still practising a lot and also having full days enjoying being at school with my friends, then going to tennis.
‘‘It can be tricky when you focus everything on tennis and it’s not normal for you to be going through life like that.
‘‘So it was a good way for me to stay well-balanced and it was the reason why I also went to college (Texas Christian
University) to keep that balance.
‘‘When I was a bit more mature I could put everything into tennis, with the tricky lifestyle of it all and I was able to handle it.
‘‘But at that age, I was still loving school and loving my friends there and having a good time.’’
For any tennis player playing under a British flag, dealing with the media is tricky, as Murray found out during his career and Raducanu is currently experiencing, as she’s failed to live up to the unrealistic expectations placed on her after winning last year’s US Open.
Norrie is still going through the ‘‘build ‘em up’’ stage of his career, so hasn’t yet reached the ‘‘knock ‘em down’’ phase.
No doubt that will come, but right now Norrie is relaxed around the media.
‘‘I’m just getting used it now, with the attention and everything, that’s what comes with it,’’ he said. ‘‘There is going to be more pressure on you and more attention, but that’s what comes with it and there’s no hiding from it.
‘‘I’m just going to be who I am, that’s the way it is, there are always going to be people asking more questions and more pressure on you when you win more matches.’’
Norrie plans to be back in New Zealand for Christmas, then will head across the Tasman for the ATP Cup, before coming home again for the Classic.
He last played in New Zealand in January 2020, when he lost in the first round of the Classic to Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro.
However, he did come close to playing in a domestic event in
June of that year, when a New Zealand Premier League was launched.
It was a televised event that was shown on Sky TV, organised by Tennis NZ and former pro Sebastian Lavie.
It featured some of New Zealand’s best players, including Michael Venus and Rubin Statham, and Norrie almost took part.
He said spending lockdown in New Zealand was ‘‘pretty unique for me, because I never really spend much time in New Zealand any more and if I was to spend time there it would just be a couple of days for Christmas.
‘‘So to have that time, to just be there with my family and only hang out with them, was pretty special for someone like me.
‘‘It was also frustrating, but I did enjoy it because I was able to go out, go for runs, walk my dogs, then eat with my parents and hang out at home.
‘‘I wasn’t doing a lot and it was pretty boring, but it was a nice time of year with the weather.
‘‘I was able to relax and I got into some good shape.’’