Cameron Norrie hopes his quest for relentless improvement can carry him to a first
Wimbledon final.
The British No.1 has made a habit of surprising people over the past 18 months but all those achievements would be overshadowed spectacularly should he defeat
Novak Djokovic in the last four on Friday.
Norrie was the highest seed left in his section of the draw from the second round and his highest-ranked opponent so far has been 30th seed Tommy Paul, so Djokovic undoubtedly represents a huge jump in class.
They have only played once before, at the ATP Finals last November, where Djokovic dropped just three games.
“It’s going to be a tough one against Novak obviously, but I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Norrie.
“I think I’m going to take it to him. I think last time I played him in Turin in another big tournament, he played very good and I think I learned a lot from that. I think I’m going to approach it a little bit differently tactically.”
Djokovic’s record at Wimbledon makes rather frightening reading for an opponent. Since losing to Andy Murray in the 2013 final, he has lost just one completed match – to Sam Querrey in 2016, when he suffered a mental let-down after finally winning the French Open.
Norrie can boast many good people in his corner, including Murray, who is one of the very few players to twice beat Djokovic in Grand Slam finals.
“Andy has been super supportive to me and my team,” said Norrie. “I’m always practicing with him and always reaching out to him for ideas. I think not a bad guy to ask about some tactics.”