Cameron Norrie, the British player who has won the Grand Slam twice, claims he paid the price for his “little overconfident” attitude as Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, battled through injury to advance to the fourth round.
Following a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2, 6-3 defeat in New York, Norrie has now lost all seven of his meetings with the 38-year-old Serb.
When he broke at the start of the third set, the 30-year-old left-hander made a quick move in the match.
However, Djokovic’s victory at the final major tournament of the year put an end to British singles interest.
I had a great third set, but I was probably a little too confident after breaking, Norrie said to BBC Sport.
Djokovic, who is competing for a 25th consecutive major title, had a bad back injury in the opening set that required a medical timeout.
Early in the second set, the four-time US Open champion requested more care.
Since missing the Wimbledon semi-finals seven weeks ago, he has won his first tournament.
After a match that lasted almost three hours, Djokovic smiled and said, “You want to win in straight sets without any drama.”
“My team wants me to suffer on the court so that I can play there for longer.” From that perspective, it is good.
Djokovic’s opening performance against teenager Learner Tien and qualifier Zachary Svajda set him at his best of the tournament against Norrie.
Norrie still has “a lot to smile about.”
How far Norrie has come in the last few months when pushing one of the greatest athletes of all time at a Grand Slam.
After a disappointing first-round exit at the Miami Open in March, he returned to Europe and had a critical reflection on the direction of his career.
The 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist was dangerously close to dropping out of the top 100 and struggling to regain his form and self-assurance after suffering an arm injury that slowed down his 2024 season.
Following that, his team and him exchanged hearts. The group’s overall conclusion was that they needed to relax a little and make a pledge to enjoy touring once more.
Norrie has since advanced to the French Open fourth round, where he lost to Djokovic, and the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Given where he found himself earlier this year, Djokovic’s defeat did not cause him to become overly disappointed.
Norrie said, “It has been fun; I wouldn’t change anything in this tournament.”
There is “so much to smile about.”
Norrie stated prior to the match that he was prepared for anything from Djokovic, including having to deal with his fitness issues before regaining his form.
On a fun-filled evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium, that is exactly what happened.
Given Djokovic’s alleged weaknesses, Norrie wanted to make the match physical, but he was unable to maintain his skill.
Norrie remarked, “I tried to play my brand of tennis and make it physical. I wouldn’t change much.”
How Djokovic’s serve “makes things easier”
Djokovic’s serve was regarded as one of his weaker points in the beginning of his career.
However, over the years, the veteran is aware of how crucial it is to be in order to win another Grand Slam.
Djokovic wants the accuracy of his opening shot to help limit the baseline rallies because he can’t physically combat his younger foes.
In the first set and a half, Djokovic made the most of his serve, which was used to great effect against Norrie.
Djokovic finished with 18 aces, which is the most he has ever scored in a US Open match, while Norrie only received two receiving points in the first set.
Djokovic, who is the oldest man to reach the fourth round since Jimmy Connors in 1991, said, “Serving so well makes your life easier.”
related subjects
- Tennis
Source: BBC
Leave a Reply