"I thought I had him" - Norrie on Djokovic match at Wimbledon
ATP
Cameron Norrie enjoyed a memorable run at this year's Wimbledon, with the Brit missing out on a spot in the final to all-time great Novak Djokovic.
Despite not going through the best of preparations for Wimbledon in terms of results, that did not matter as soon as Norrie arrived at SW19, with a spectacular two weeks propelling him to his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final.
It was always going to be a monumental challenge. Not only the occasion but also whom he came up against: Novak Djokovic. The then-six-time winner of the SW19 trophy ended up holding his 2021 crown when he went on to beat Nick Kyrgios in the final.
Having said that, the Brit put up a good fight for what would have been his maiden Grand Slam final appearance. Winning the opening set 6-2, Norrie went on to lose in four.
However, there were, according to the British number one, moments during the encounter that led him to believe he had a chance of overcoming the Serbian great.
"On the day of the semi-final my locker room was right beside Djokovic's, so I spent the morning stepping over his stuff. I felt on fire and had everything going for me."
"I thought I had him after the first set - he almost seemed a bit nervous, but then he settled down. It was a hard battle and I was gutted I lost."
Speaking on his preparation for the match, Norrie explained how he stuck to his habitual routine, making no changes on what was the biggest day of his career.
"I have my routines on match days but no good-luck charms. To get into the zone I have a playlist of electronic music by Tourist. Every day I biked to the courts from my flat - I don't have a car in London and cycling is the perfect warm-up."
