LONDON: It took Cameron Norrie over three sets to tame David Goffin in Tuesday’s Wimbledon quarterfinals, but the Brit knows he can’t afford to leave it as late in his next match as he will be one confronts a rival whom his Belgian victim refers to as “an extraterrestrial”.
Over the past two decades, British fans have grown accustomed to being taken on five-set rollercoaster rides on tennis’ most famous stage by four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman and two-time champion Andy Murray.
South African-born Norrie joined that select group on Tuesday as he bounced back with a 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Goffin to claim his maiden Grand Slam – reach semi-finals.
“Pretty crazy to be here and in the semifinals. Crazy atmosphere too. Definitely enjoyed it. The crowd definitely got me through the Open Era to reach the last four at the grass major.
“By the end of the fourth, beginning of the fifth, I was just locked in… just one crazy day and one crazy match to get through.”
For three and a half hours, Henman Hill swarmed with thousands of fans who cheered on every point won by the ninth seed while watching the action on the big screen in front of Court One.
While the British number one admitted renaming the hill Norrie Knoll is unlikely to catch on as “it doesn’t roll off as well as Henman Hill”, he knows he will have to rely on the Partisans for support, when he tries to stop six-time champion Novak Djokovic from reaching a 32nd Grand Slam final.
“Of course that is one of the toughest tasks in tennis. I would say grass is his favorite surface and his record here at Wimbledon is unbelievable. It’s going to be tough,” Norrie said.
“I have to improve a lot of things from today. A couple of times I lost focus a bit and managed to regain it. There is no room for that at Novak.”
Prior to this week, Norrie wasn’t exactly a household name in Britain as the left-hander had never progressed past the third round of a Major.
But as he is one win away from becoming the first British player to reach a Wimbledon final since Murray won the second of his All England Club titles in 2016, Norrie admitted he had exceeded his childhood dreams.
“When I was a kid and I watched guys on TV reaching the quarter-finals, (I thought) ‘Wow, this looks so difficult and there’s almost no chance I can do it,'” said the 26- -year-old who was beaten in his only previous clash with the 20-time Serbian Grand Slam champion.
“But actually doing it and living it and experiencing it is actually very cool and quite crazy. And now I’ve gone one step further in the semifinals, so I think I can take a lot of confidence from that.
“Of course it will be difficult against Novak, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think I’ll take them
it him.”
And how exactly did Goffin rate Norrie’s chances of beating Djokovic?
“If maybe he’s playing the tennis of his life and Novak doesn’t feel good,” said the Belgian.
“Novak is Novak. He plays even better when the crowd is against him. Novak is just an alien.”