Norrie became the fourth British man in the Open era (after Roger Taylor, Tim Henman, and Andy Murray) to reach a Wimbledon semi-final last year, winning the first set 6-2 vs Novak Djokovic before falling to defeat.
That performance was 27-year-old Norrie’s best display in a Grand Slam to date, and he heads to Wimbledon this year off the back of a third-round exit to Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open.
During an interview ahead of his appearance at Queen’s Club this week, Norrie talked through his grass-court preparations and an increased sense of ambition.
“It’s always taken me a little bit more time to get used to the grass over the years and I think my results have improved year by year. I had a great grass season last year, and a great result here at Wimbledon,” Norrie said.
“It feels good just to be back off the clay and hitting balls on the grass.
“When the weather’s like this, it’s unbelievable. I think it’s the best place in the world, so it’s nice to be back, and obviously getting a lot of time in the gym, a lot of time on the court, and looking forward to Queen’s.
“I think I’m a tricky player on the grass, being a leftie and my backhand staying very low, and I’m really competing hard and making a lot of returns and using my leftie serve as much as I can.
“On the grass, it’s just how much you’re really embracing it and how much you’re really putting pressure on the other guy because typically it’s not a surface where you’re going to break serve too often.
“So I’m really trying to invest a lot in my return games and really trying to put a lot of pressure on my opponent that way, kind of like Andy Murray does.
“I don’t think a lot has changed for me [since last year’s run to the semi-finals]. I’m still trying to take care of everything, trying to be the best tennis player I can be, and I’ve still got the same team around me.
“I think it just made me a little bit more hungry, and I really want to feel that and make another deep run in a Slam and it’s made me want it even more.”
With memories of last year’s wave of support which fell his way, Norrie says the expectation that comes with being British No 1 heading into Wimbledon is precisely the situation he wants to be in.
“That’s exactly where you want to be, having these expectations, and if someone’s saying: ‘You want to make semi-finals again,’ that’s exactly what you want people to be saying.
“You don’t want people to be like: ‘You’re going to go bomb out in the first round again,’ so I’ll definitely take being on that side of things, and you have to embrace it. There’s no shying away from it.
“You know everyone’s going to be watching, everyone’s going to be expecting big things and I think the next couple weeks it’s time to enjoy.
“I’m doing my best and doing what I can [to cope with the expectancy]. I’m not really focusing on the other side of that too much and I’m trying to just take care of my stuff as best as I can.
“You’re going to have a lot of people around this time interested in tennis, which is great, but I know what to expect.
“I probably have to decompress a little bit more than what I’m doing. I’m a pretty busy guy. So I’m really trying to rest a bit more, and I’m going to have to do that for sure.
“I need to really try and rest as much as I can obviously with a busy schedule, and the next couple of weeks coming with a lot of emotions.”
With all of that in mind, what does success look like for Norrie come the end of July?
“It’s a good question. To win Wimbledon would be perfect, but you have to take it step-by-step and really focus on Queen’s first and try to bring my best level there.
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“And then I don’t want to be playing my best at Queen’s, I want to be playing my best for the Grand Slam.
“So playing my best and giving myself the best chance at Wimbledon would be ideal. It’s a long, long way to go to win it, but I’m going to try to give myself the best chance.”
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