Cameron Norrie goes to Wimbledon. Great expectations follow him.

Cameron Norrie experienced two mystical moments at Wimbledon. Both took place on Center Court, the most respected venue in sport.

The first came in 2021 when Norrie took on Roger Federer in what turned out to be the eight-time champion’s last Wimbledon and final singles tournament of his career.

“Playing Roger on Center Court at Wimbledon with my home fans there was surreal,” said Britain’s Norrie, who had the chance to break serve and send the match to a fifth set before losing 6-4, 6- lost 4, 5-7. 6-4. “Of course they love him there too. I think they supported him more than me that day.”

The second moment came last year, when Norrie reached his first major semifinal at Wimbledon. He became only the fourth British man in the open era – behind Roger Taylor, Tim Henman and the two-time champion Andy Murray – to reach the semi-finals there.

Murray won in 2016 when he was world No. 2; he is the last British man to win the tournament. This year Norrie will play at Wimbledon as the best singles player in his country.

“There was already an expectation that I would do well because I am the British number 1,” said 27-year-old Norrie, who won the first set against Novak Djokovic before falling in four sets last year. “Of course you feel a lot of pressure. But the only way to go in is to embrace all of that. If you just run and hide from it, you’ll be eaten alive on the pitch.”

Norrie, who was ranked No. 8 in his career last year and is now No. 13, has already had victories this year over Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, whom he upset when he won a clay-court title in Rio de Janeiro in February. . Last year he also won two Association of Tennis Professionals tournaments.

As a junior player, Norrie was ranked No. 10 in the world. But instead of turning pro, he chose to go to university Texas Christian University. There he met Facundo Lugones, who was a senior when Norrie was a freshman. The two often exchanged sidelong glances as they destroyed their respective opponents. They became good friends. Now Lugones is Norrie’s coach.

“College was so valuable and so much fun for me,” Norrie said. “As a tennis player you have to sacrifice a lot and it’s not a normal life. I was not ready for this lifestyle when I was 18 years old. I made a lot of mistakes in college that don’t cost you that much. I enjoyed myself more than I should have. If I did that on tour, I wouldn’t be ranked anywhere.

Norrie admits that he was undisciplined in sports during his freshman year in college. He showed up late for practice, scraped his team uniform and didn’t give all his effort. A pair of indoor losses saw him fall from No. 1 to No. 3 in the lineup.

Lugones said the coaches gave Norrie an ultimatum when he came back in his sophomore year. “After that you could see he was a different player,” said Lugones.

Norrie’s strength on the pitch is his ability to compete on all surfaces and fight to the end. He’s left-handed, which helps him hit his favorite shot: a low, flat, short backhand from the right side of the court.

“He kind of reminds me of a left-handed version of David Ferrer,” said Jim Couriera former number 1 in the world. “He’s very hard to beat, doesn’t get tired and doesn’t hit himself often.”

Norrie deserved the anger of Djokovic in Rome in May by aiming for a powerful short shot from above and hitting Djokovic in the leg when his back was turned. Although Norrie apologized at the time, he does not regret the shot.

“I wanted to win,” said Norrie, who lost the match in straight sets. “It was in the heat of the moment that I broke through [serve], and I tried everything. I fought as hard as I could.”

Lugones said that Norrie’s greatest strength is his brain game.

“His mental abilities are different from everyone else’s,” Lugones said. “He smells blood early on and then raises his level. You can’t teach that skill.”