Cameron has continued his good form after Wimbledon, beating Lorenzo Musetti to advance at the Washington Open.
Norrie came from a set down to defeat the number two seed in Washington, winning 3-6 6-2 6-3.
The former British number one has enjoyed a run of good form, having reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
However, during Norrie’s fourth round match at Wimbledon, he came under fire from his opponent, Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean was frustrated by how many times Norrie was bouncing the ball before serving, and the resulting time spent between Norrie’s first and second serve. Jarry claimed what Norrie was doing wasn’t a ‘nervous tic’ and was something the Brit could control.
Fast forward to Washington, Norrie was asked about the use of ‘tactics’ on the tennis court after defeating Musetti.
Cameron Norrie denies using ‘tactics’ to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm
During the post-match press conference, Norrie was asked if he uses ‘tactics’ to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm.
Norrie replied: “No, I want to play for me. I’m playing to enjoy it and compete with my team. I’m always giving the energy back to my team, and they like to get fired up. They know I like to get fired up in some moments.
“I think it’s just picking the right moments to do that. And I’m not over the top with it, and I think finding the right balance. If I can get a little bit over the top, sometimes you can be a little bit negative after that in the next point.
“Finding a good balance of your energy point in, point out, to kind of stay at a good level so you can find consistency and point to point, I think that’s my best trait as a player, playing every point. And I did that today, for the most part. A little bit in the first set there were a few cheap points there. It was a good win.”
After the fiery contest against Nicolas Jarry at Wimbledon, Norrie revealed what Jarry said to him at the net.
Jarry also commented on the Wimbledon crowd and their booing of him after the match.
In Washington, Norrie was also asked whether it is helpful to know when he’s ‘getting in somebody’s head.’
He responded: “No. I saw that a couple of times with some players snapping, but, you know, playing my home slam, some big opportunities, some big matches, I had a lot of people, friends watching me, they were getting fired up in the crowd. I never once looked at my opponent. I was always looking at my team.
“You know, it’s interesting, you see a little bit they’re not happy when the score is not going their way. You see it when they’re beating me, I’m still bringing energy. I think it’s up to them. It’s not my problem. I’m not doing it intentionally. I’m playing for myself.
“But I don’t think it’s been anything massive. You know, it’s been a few words to the ref and then just a bit bothered. Yeah, I’m playing my own game. It’s interesting it disrupts them, so I’m just going to keep doing my own thing.”
Cameron Norrie is ‘enjoying everything a little bit more’
The Brit has a big opportunity to go far in Washington. With Musetti knocked out and Holger Rune withdrawing, the biggest threats in the bottom half of the draw are Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur.
Norrie certainly has the tools to conquer both of these players, especially considering the poor form of Medvedev and Norrie’s strong set of results in big tournaments over the last few months.
Norrie will hope to emulate compatriot Dan Evans, who won the Washington Open in 2023. Evans, who also won his first match in Washington this year, has admitted his career is coming to an end.
Speaking at the same press conference, Norrie commented on his momentum, adding that he is ‘not forcing results.’
He said: “I think this tournament is not easy to feel the ball. You see the ball flying around a lot. But I think I have been able to build a little bit of momentum through Geneva, French Open, and then Wimbledon.
“I think just enjoying everything a little bit more, not forcing results, and you can’t really control things, what happens on the match day, how you’re feeling, and how everything is going.
“I’m just competing as well as I can, enjoying it, and letting the kid play. I’m playing tennis because I loved playing when I was a kid. I love practising, everything. Just doing that.
“Yeah, I could have lost the match today. Would not really change much. I put myself in a good situation and it managed to go my way, so I take it today.”
Norrie will face American Brandon Nakashima in the Washington Open round of 16 before a potential match against the ‘demon’ Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals.
