“I’m not sure how I’ve beaten him three times”: Cameron Norrie reacts to rare success vs Alcaraz

Cameron Norrie was the most recent guest on the Nothing Major podcast, joining hosts Sam Querrey, John Isner, Jack Sock, and Steve Johnson. He discussed what he called his ‘favorite season on Tour’ and detailed how to defeat Carlos Alcaraz—a rival who seems invincible to many, yet one the Brit has beaten on three occasions so far.

While it wasn't his best season in terms of results—especially in the first half of the year—the Brit managed to bounce back with strong performances. At 30 years old, he reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals (his second appearance at this stage in a Grand Slam), reached the final of the Moselle Open (finishing as runner-up for the second consecutive year), and logged a couple of top-10 wins, including his first victory over a reigning World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in the second round of the Paris Masters.

The Brit was asked what the key was to beating Alcaraz—not just this time, but in three of their eight meetings, a feat few can boast about. “I don't know, to be honest, I just, you have to play well,” the former Indian Wells champion said. “And I like, I quite like, I think everyone's nice to be the underdog going in to play him. Just you have to stay disciplined with him and keep hanging with him and test him so hard. But yeah, I'm not sure really, to be honest.”

Reflecting on his specific victory over Alcaraz when the Spaniard was ranked number one in the world, Norrie recalled the sheer physical and mental demand of the contest. He noted that the start of the match was played at a blistering pace that seemed unsustainable for anyone to keep up with.

However, realizing he could match that intensity gave him the confidence to stay in the fight, even after dropping the first set and facing a deficit against the world’s best player: "I had a couple of break points. He took his. And I was like, wow, I'm in this match. And the intensity was a joke high. It was like, so high the first five games. And I was like, all right, I think I'm good to hang for the match with this."

When asked to choose between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Norrie did not hesitate to praise the Spaniard’s entertainment value and variety, admitting that even as a rival, he remains a fan of watching him play: "I always back Alcaraz, to be honest. I always think there's more variety and I love watching him. He's so good to watch, my favourite to watch. So I always back Alcaraz and I stick with him."

Instead of following the typical tennis trend of relaxing in luxury destinations like the Maldives during the off-season, Norrie is heading to South America for a grueling training block. He wants to prepare for the Australian Open by exposing himself to extreme conditions rather than comfort.

His plan involves suffering in the high temperatures of Buenos Aires to build his physical conditioning, while also taking the time to enjoy the local culture and food with his coaching team: "Honestly, I'm just excited to be with my team,” the Brit added. “All of us are going to Buenos Aires on Saturday. We're going to be in the heat. I wanted to just get in there two weeks, as hot as I can find, and just enjoy that. Eat some good steaks."

The decision to train in Argentina is also driven by the sheer quality and quantity of practice partners available in the region. Norrie describes the local players as "dogs" because of their fighting spirit and intensity on the court, which is exactly what he needs to get match-ready.

He notes that the density of high-level talent in Buenos Aires allows him to simulate match conditions against hungry competitors every single day of his pre-season block: “There's so many dogs in Argentina wanting to practise. There's like 12 guys inside 120, I think. So I want to get back and be in the tough conditions before Australia."