As the sun set over Wimbledon on Tuesday, Cameron Norrie basked in the adoration of the fans still on the grounds. He was sitting on the media balcony at Wimbledon completing an interview, with fellow first-time semi-finalist Ons Jabeur standing a few feet away as fans flocked to celebrate.
It was an extraordinary day for Norrie, who reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time by defeating Belgium’s David Goffin 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling clash. The 26-year-old became the first Briton since Andy Murray in 2016 to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
He joined double Wimbledon champions Tim Henman and Roger Taylor as the fourth Briton to reach the singles semi-finals at The Championships in the Open era. Murray has given Norrie advice during his rise to fame and wished him good luck in the locker room ahead of the quarterfinal against Goffin.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were seated next to Henman, cheered enthusiastically on Court No. 1 as the World No. 12 rallied from a deficit to score the best victory of his career. Outside, the magnificent overlook formerly known as Henman Hill and Murray Mound was, for a day at least, renamed Norrie’s Knoll.
The atmosphere there was as electric as it was on track number 1. Overall, as Norrie later said, the experience was a lot to take in. “I don’t even know what a mound is,” he said. “I would say it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well as Henman Hill.
(But) I will take it”. Norrie said that he was not aware of the support of members of the Royal Family until after he had won a famous victory, but that he was delighted with his presence. “Obviously it’s very special to play against them, and they obviously had more interest in my game, which is great,” he said.
He will face Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic on his future
In his press conference following his win over Sinner, Novak Djokovic was mum about his immediate future, which he described as ‘unpredictable’ “What happens after Wimbledon is unpredictable, so I don’t pay too much attention to it,” said Djokovic.
“I try to direct my thoughts to here and now, and we’ll see what happens later.” Nevertheless, an upbeat Djokovic said that despite the ‘circumstances’, he doesn’t feel any extra pressure to excel at the Slams, saying Wimbledon has always been special for him.
“I wouldn’t say that I have a completely new motivation due to the circumstances,” said Djokovic. “I always feel very motivated to show my best tennis at the Grand Slams, especially here, which is probably the most important tournament in the history of our sport.”
