Skipper Leon reckons Cam can be the King of Queens
Davis Cup captain Leon Smith believes in-form Cam Norrie could go all the way at the US Open.
And that could see the Scot arriving home for Great Britain duty just two days later as the newly-crowned king of New York.
Norrie, whose dad is a Rangers fan from Glasgow, reached the last-four at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Smith believes that experience will only help the world No. 11 at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York, where he will compete on his favoured hard-court surface.
He said: “Cam could be coming home as the US Open champion. The semi-final at Wimbledon was massive for him. It was not just about getting to the semis. It was playing well against Novak.
“He now realises that, on another surface or if he had raised his game 5%, he had a chance to beat the guy who won the tournament.
“He will feel now he has a shot at winning a Slam, whereas beforehand it was just about reaching the second week. He knows how to get through the first week, and his preparation becomes honed in.
“You know what you are doing on each given day, and you start to get more accustomed to it. This is also his best surface
– and he does say that – although he’s pretty much got a game for all surfaces. But hardcourt is what he is most used to.
“When he was at TCU (Texas Christian University) playing the
NCAAs (National Collegiate Athletic Association), that was the surface. He has played hundreds of matches
on it, and he likes the heat. So the US Open is a good one for him.”
GB will take on the USA, Netherlands and Kazakhstan at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena next month as they look to book their place in the knock-out stages
of the Davis Cup.
In the past, all eyes looked to Andy Murray to deliver, as he did in 2015 when Britain won it. But this time Smith reckons it will be more of a collective effort.
He said: “The pressure will be off Andy a little because of the strength of the team. I think all of them are at the stage of their careers where they all want to play in both singles and doubles. You want to play in front of a packed house because these moments don’t come along that often. Everyone is going to want a piece of it.
“It doesn’t matter where you are
ranked, there will be a conversation whether you play or not. It is not an easy thing for them to get used to, someone telling them they are not playing.
“But I get the feeling there is such respect between the group, they will accept to a certain degree whoever is going out there to do a job.
“Being at home makes a massive difference. Let’s pack it out and then get through to the knock-out stage.”
Tickets are available at lta.org. uk/daviscuptickets, starting at £5 for children and £10 for adults.