How Wimbledon's new hometown star Cam Norrie is connecting with New Zealand

When David Goffin struck a backhand into the net to send Cameron Norrie into the Wimbledon semifinals in front of the number 1 crowd on Court, there was bound to be a mixture of pride and regret at Tennis NZ headquarters in Auckland.

After all, until the age of 17, Norrie proudly represented New Zealand – only to switch allegiances to England after being deemed unworthy of significant funding.

That’s despite Norrie breaking into the world’s top 10 as a youth and being tipped for big things by former Davis Cup captain James Greenhalgh.

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Failure to keep Norrie – who has climbed to world number 12 and faces Novak Djokovic for a place in the final on Center Court on Friday (Saturday NZT) – will be a new focus if, as expected, he returns. headline the ASB Classic in Auckland early next year.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 26-year-old Briton ahead of the biggest match of his growing career:

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

England’s Cameron Norrie praised the Wimbledon crowd after overcoming David Goffin.

Who is Cameron Norrie?

Born in Johannesburg on August 23, 1995 to a Welsh mother and Scottish father, Norries left South Africa and moved to New Zealand when Cameron was just three years old after their family home was robbed.

Both microbiologists David and Helen Norrie are also keen squash players, and with a repurposed squash racket, Cameron’s tennis obsession begins, aged six years ahead of his drive.

He joined a local tennis club and his talent was quickly seen. Aged 11, he was selected for the elite Tennis Auckland regional program, where he was coached by Greenhalgh.

Two years later, Norrie played in an international junior tournament, representing New Zealand. He initially struggled to make his mark, failing to progress past the first round or even winning a set in his first three events.

SKY SPORTS

Cameron Norrie, who grew up in New Zealand, triumphed over the Wimbledon crowd after booking a semi-final spot.

But a runner-up spot at the New Zealand 18 & Under Indoor Championships in 2010 was followed by his first junior international title the following year as Norrie finally started to enjoy some success on the circuit.

After beating the best in Aotearoa, Norrie immediately sought a new challenge on the youth circuit in Europe, spending five months away from his 15-year-old family.

He reached the highest ranking of No. 10 in the junior rankings in March 2013, a month before he chose to represent the country of his parents’ birth.

His last notable appearances as a Kiwi were at the ASB Classic and Junior Australian Open that year, where he was beaten in the second round by a certain Nick Kyrgios.

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Cameron Norrie met Nick Kyrgios while representing New Zealand at the 2013 Junior Australian Open.

How long has he represented New Zealand?

Norrie played under the New Zealand flag for three years, from 2010 to 2013, switching allegiances to England after receiving only a few thousand dollars in funding from Tennis NZ.

During that time, her parents had spent quite a bit of money on funding overseas trips as a junior, so the help promised by the LTA in the UK was undoubtedly a major factor behind Norrie’s decision to move to London.

Norrie trained – and initially lived – at the LTA National Tennis Center in Roehampton, then represented her host nation in the junior draws at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open that year but failed to progress beyond the first round.

John McCoy/AP

Cameron Norrie has spoken of pride in being British, but he has a lot of affection for New Zealand.

Any regrets about the transition?

Despite her love of New Zealand – she still speaks in a striking Kiwi tone – Norrie has no regrets about making the switch.

“I think it was a big decision on my part to base myself there and I feel British,” said Norrie Things in 2019.

“My father is completely English, my mother was born in Wales. It was a big decision on my part to move there and be around the world’s best players in Europe.

“People in New Zealand will still support me and they are still trying to claim me. So I don’t think they really care about it.”

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Cameron Norrie waits for serve during his first round match against Dmitry Tursunov at the 2017 US Open.

Why did he move to the US?

Following some mixed results on an international junior tour, Norrie chose to utilize the LTA’s US College pathway to rediscover her love of tennis and, more importantly, develop as a person.

He joined Texas Christian University as a freshman in 2014 and will thrive in the US College environment over the next three years, earning the prestigious All-American award in singles.

Norrie successfully combined her studies with tennis and in her sophomore year at TCU earned her first ITF title at the Futures event in Mansfield, Texas.

Back-to-back Futures titles the following year and a runner-up spot at the ATP Challenger Series event in California took him into the world’s top 300 and gave him the impetus to turn professional in 2017.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Cameron Norrie’s biggest title to date saw him clinch an unofficial major tennis title at Indian Wells last year.

What is his most notable achievement?

Since entering the professional ranks five years ago, Norrie has moved up the ranks slowly and steadily, reaching a career-high 10 in April this year.

Under the tutelage of Argentine coach Facudon Lugones, Norrie has clinched four titles on the main tour, including two in 2021 in a remarkable 12-month span that has also seen him reach another four finals.

By far, Norrie’s most prestigious achievement was her victory at the Indian Wells Masters, known as unofficial ‘fifth major’ tennis.

Norrie came from a set down to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6 6-4 6-1 and become the first Briton to win the coveted title.

Until reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon this week, Norrie’s record at grand slams has been somewhat disappointing. He has never made it past the third round at Melbourne Park, Roland Garros or Flushing Meadows, in singles or doubles.

In total, the left-hander has won 135 games and lost 100 times for a 57.4% win rate on the ATP Tour and in Davis Cup games, earning an estimated US$6.35 million (NZ$10.3 million) in prize money.

That bank balance will rise significantly if he can find his way past Djokovic this weekend.

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