STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE

Cameron Norrie learnt how to play tennis in Auckland and now, he’s the British No.1. So how did the boy from Bucklands Beach become a global star shining under another flag? Bridget Jones finds out and discovers he’s not done yet.

It’s hard to pinpoin tw hen Cameron Norrie took his first step st o becoming perhap st he be stt ennis player Ne wZ eala nd h as produced, who doesn’ ta ctuall yr epresent Ne wZ ealand. May be i t was his da dD avid a nd m um Helen cutting down as quash racque ts o their litt le l ad cou ld h ave a hi ta bout in t he d riveway of their east Auckland home. May be i t was his coach suggesting he start playing wit h hi s left hand, when he was six .M ay be i twasw hen Norrie switched nationalitie sat 17 because Tennis Ne wZ ealand could not (o rw ould not, depending on who you ask) support him the way he needed to foot it internationally. Regardless ,b yt he time he became Britain’s No.1 men’ ss ingles player in 202 1, i t was clear Norrie was no longer one of “ours”. But try telling th at t o the Auckla nd c rowd sw hen he plays the AS BC lass icinJ anuary.

Norr ie i sa patchwor k of a player in m any ways; South African-born, Ne wZ ealand-raised, US college-educated and no w Br itain 's t op player, who currently lives in Monaco (“to be honest ,i t was [for the] tax”... and t he p roximi ty t o hi s training team). He’s making his mar k on the global stage.

The 28-year-old h asw onfi ve single st itles, California’s Indian Wells Masters in 2021 was the biggest ,h asa No.8 career-high world ranking, and in 2022, reached the semi-final sat Wimbledon. He lo stt oe ventua lch ampion Novak Djokovic in fo urs ets.

But tennis i sa game where your place in the wor ld c a nfl uctuate wildly, according to the stats, anyway .R anking s ar ee verything, and nothing. Thi sy e ar a lone, Norr ie h as gone from world No.11 t ohi s curren ts po t at No.18. Even reaching British No.1 in 202 1– a nd m aintaining it in the two years since – was a fleeting moment of joy.

“I was 14 in the world... Cool t o be British number one, b ut t here are still 13 guys ahea dof me, s oI was pushing,” Norrie says of becoming Britain’s best.

“I twass pecial. I’m not saying it’s no ta big dea l– ther eh ave only been very fe wBr itish No.1s, ever – s oi t was cool, but I didn’ tt hink anything ofi t othe rt ha nfo r five minutes. Then I was like, move on.”

Mov eon,b ut only just . Fo ra playe rw ho turned pro si xy ears ago, it’s perhaps surprising Norr ie h as onl yr eally considered he could be world No.1 in t he l ast 12 months.

“[When did I think I could become] world No.1? Last year,” he says .“But w henIm a dem y debut in t he D avi s Cu p in 2018, I played against [Roberto] Bautista Agut, who was 22 o r 23 in the world, and I ended up winning in five sets .I was just outside the t op 1 00 at the time. I felt like I belonged with the best playe rs a fte rt hat.”

So what changed last ye ar t om ake No.1 feel achievable?

“It’ sa good question. For me, I know my highest level [of play ]i sv ery good, I’m tough t o pl ay a gainst, I’m trick ya nd I think I have the fitness lev el–m y body i sv e ryr esilient , in terms of playing a lot of weeks –I think there’ sa lot of chances .I think it was mor e, m aking a big goal. It’ sa huge thing to say, a nd i t’ sa nothe rt hing t o go and t odoi t, a nd I think it’ sa big call… I actually don’t kno ww hy .I’mj ust feeling it, and what else am I doing if not trying t o be the best?”

The obvio us s liding doors moment in Norrie’s folklore was his choice t o le ave Aotearo aasa teen, and play for his parents’ homela ndofG reat Britain. Mu chh as been written about ho wt he junio rw orld No.10 was largely being financially support ed b y famil ya nd f riend st o pl ay overseas.