‘I fought for every point’ Norrie dream comes true with first Wimbledon win
When Cameron Norrie took his first steps on the professional road two years ago, life was looking bleak on the British front.
Back then, Andy Murray was losing his battle with his ailing right hip, Kyle Edmund had yet to make his push towards the top end of the rankings and Dan Evans was just beginning his one-year drugs ban after testing positive for cocaine.
Fast forward 12 months and Norrie and Evans are both safely and simply through to the second round while Edmund is back on Centre Court to face Fernando Verdasco for a place in the third round. For Norrie, pictured above, his 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win over Denis Istomin brought him his muchdreamed-of first win at the All England Club. Coming hard on the heels of his disappointing first-round exit at Roland Garros, this was a relief and something to celebrate.
“I think I was a little bit nervous in Paris,” Norrie said. “I was playing so well. I had a great clay season. I think my expectations were a little bit too high there.
“I think today I was like, I’m going to fight for every point, attack it with a different mentality. Win or lose, I just wanted to kind of fight for every point. That’s who I am. I wanted to kind of prove that to myself. I did that today, and the win was a bonus.”
Another bonus is that he should get a spot on a show court tomorrow as he is playing the No 8 seed, Kei Nishikori, who yesterday beat Thiago Monteiro of Brazil 6-4, 7-6, 6-4. It was five wins and three defeats on a fine day for Britain yesterday.
1.22pm Dan Evans beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 The British No 3 marked his return to SW19 after two years away with a dominant performance to get the ball rolling.
1.27pm Harriet Dart beat Christina Mchale 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.In front of the watching Duchess of Cambridge, Dart won her first ever singles match at Wimbledon after an impressive comeback.
2.37pm James Ward lost to Nikoloz Basilashvili 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6 Having been two sets up Ward seemed set for a first grand slam victory since 2015, but saw the 18th seed mount a strong recovery.
2.51pm Katie Swan lost to Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-4
The 20-year-old was unable to build on her run to the second round last year, going out after an erratic display.
3.41pm Cameron Norrie beat Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Norrie registered his first-ever win at the All England Club thanks to a masterful performance.
4.08pm Johanna Konta beat Ana Bogdan 7-5, 6-2 The British No 1, and 2017 semi-finalist, got her campaign under way in serene fashion on Court One.
5.12pm Jay Clarke beat Noah Rubin 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 Proof that dreams can come true, the 20-year-old came from a set down to earn a first Wimbledon win and set up a second-round clash with Roger Federer.
8.22pm Paul Jubb lost to Joao Sousa 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-1 The 19-year-old, who has been thrust into the limelight and was playing his first grand slam, put up a brave fight, but the Portuguese was just too strong for him.
Evans’s win over Federico Delbonis was not as easy as the 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 scoreline would suggest. Playing his first match back in SW19 since 2016, he was nervous and desperate not to make any mistakes against the Argentine world No 75, who has never won a match on a grass court.
He need not have worried. Evans, pictured above, had won all but two of his 14 grass-court matches this year coming into Wimbledon and even if he did not play eyeballs out, he did not have to. After a little over two hours, he had got the job done and was able to enjoy the warmth of reception on Court 18 as well as the simple pleasure of being back.
“It’s great that everybody came out to watch,” Evans said. “The crowd is always great here. I’m just very happy to be welcomed back so well. Obviously been away for a little bit from my own doing, so it’s good to be back.”
This time last year, Evans was as miserable as sin. He was just on his way back from hisbanandwhilehehaddone well enough in a handful of Challenger events, he had lost in the second round of qualifying at Wimbledon. The biggest show in town would go on without him and it hurt.
“Anyone who’s played Wimbledon and is not involved, or when a grand slam is on, it’s a difficult week to practise,” Evans said. “Your head’s not there. You want to be at the tournament. It’s all about Wimbledon this week.”
Fortunately,this year,wimbledon is still about Evans. His win has pushed him up to No 56 in the rankings and should he beat Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia tomorrow, he will be knocking on the door of the world’s top 50 and heading back towards his career high of No 41, the position he achieved just a couple of months before the start of his ban.
Basilashvili, the world No 16, almost did not make the appointment: he was two sets down to James Ward, one of Britain’s Davis Cup-winning squad in 2015, before fighting back to win 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6.