There may be an Andy Murray-shaped hole at Wimbledon this year – but one of his usual tactics is helping a different British tennis star.
Cameron Norrie booked his spot in the last 16 on Friday with a 7-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Italian world No.73 Mattia Bellucci at the All England Club.
It has marked the second best run in SW19 of Norrie’s career, with the British No.3 only going further in 2022 when he reached the semi-finals.
Speaking after his third-round victory over Bellucci, Norrie, who has progressed further than British No.1 Jack Draper and British No.2 Jacob Fearnley, named the one thing he’s started copying from legend Murray.
‘I’ve seen Andy Murray do that a lot’
‘I think it’s important to use the crowd to your advantage,’ Norrie said. ‘I was just pulling from random people in the crowd today, getting fired up with them. You can see they’re loving it.
‘Yeah, it’s Friday afternoon. They’re there to watch tennis. They’re there to enjoy. Wanted to try to give them something to cheer about.
‘I think the people quite like it when you look at them and get fired up. They feel like they’ve played a part in the win.
‘I wanted to pull from the energy from not just my team but from some random people in the crowd. I’ve seen Andy Murray do that a lot in his matches. Yeah, it was so much fun today.’
Cam Norrie wary of ‘dangerous’ Nicolas Jarry
Norrie is back in action on Sunday as he faces Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry in the last 16 – and he’s gearing himself up for a very tough battle.
Jarry impressively knocked out eighth-seed Holger Rune in his opening match and also eliminated Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca.
Speaking ahead of his clash with Jarry, Norrie added: ‘I think it’s a great match to play. I’m excited for it.
‘I think he’s one of the most dangerous players on the Tour when he’s confident, and he is confident. He’s come through qualifying.
‘He had an unbelievable win today [over Fonseca]. He beat Holger in a crazy match. I think he looks like a guy with nothing to lose.
‘He’s so dangerous. He’s got one of the best serves on Tour. I think he likes the grass a lot. I’m going to have to really raise my level from how I played today.
‘It’s a completely different match-up than my match today. Yeah, definitely going to have to return well and take care of my serve to have a chance with Nico.’
