CAM’S PLAYING THE LUNG GAME
World No.1 Djokovic may well outplay Brit hero Norrie but he will never outrun him
CAMERON NORRIE will draw on his deepsea diver’s lung power to give Novak Djokovic the runaround on his Centre Court date with destiny. Britain’s standardbearer at Wimbledon goes into his semi-final against the 20-times Grand Slam winner fortified by the knowledge that, even if Djokovic is too good for him, he is unlikely to outrun him. And if No.9 seed Norrie can summon the willpower which sustained him in a five-set thriller against David Goffin in the quarter-finals – in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Djokovic will have to take the lung way home. Speaking in Indian Wells earlier this year, he revealed a scan had shown a blacksmith’s bellows were no match for his breathing capacity. “I went to hospital for some tests after an accident in college,” said Norrie. “And one of the technicians was like ‘Are you a deep-sea diver or something? Your lungs are huge! I’ve never seen lungs like that.’
“I realised I had big lungs and I’ve used them to my advantage ever since.”
Norrie, 26, will need all his lung power to deny world No.1 Djokovic (far right) a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title – and camping on the baseline served him well as he outlasted Goffin (right) in front of their captivated royal audience.
He said: “The first thing I was trying to do was to make the rally as long and physical as I could, and I was able to do that towards the end. I think I’m going to have to do that against Novak. I’m going to have to play my game and execute to the highest of my ability.
“I’ll have to be really smart tactically because it’s obviously a very tough challenge, but I’m looking forward to it and I think I’m ready for it.”
If Norrie (left) wasn’t already aware of it, let’s spell it out for him. He is on the brink of superstardom and celebrity beyond his wildest dreams.
To reach the pantheon of Wimbledon men’s singles finalists would be an extraordinary achievement for a player who had never been beyond the third round of a Grand Slam tournament until he pitched up in the strawberry fields of SW19 last month.
Djokovic will be wary of Norrie’s physicality and stamina, with former British No.1 and BBC analyst Laura Robson revealed: “No one ever wants to train with Cam because he just runs you.
“In the track sessions he just kills everyone. I think he’s quite deceptive because he doesn’t look like an overly strong guy.”
After his final practice yesterday, Norrie said: “I am as ready as I can be. I don’t think you can prepare for stuff like this.
“Even riding my bike around, I am getting a couple of looks – people shouting ‘Well done’. That is cool, so quickly after winning just a few matches.
“Just before Queen’s, I was out to dinner with my girlfriend and after 10 minutes the barman asked me if I watched much tennis. I told him I watched a little bit.
“He said, ‘You look exactly like that tennis player, Cameron Norrie.’ As I was leaving I told him I was actually Cameron Norrie.”
According to coach Facundo Lagones, Norrie can withstand six or seven minutes in the ‘red’ zone with his heart-rate at 200 beats per minute. For reference, most mortals could withstand only around 90 seconds of such extreme physical stress.
To cut a lung story short: If Norrie can keep Djokovic on the run, as Jannik Sinner did, he will be a national hero by nightfall.