Cameron Norrie has dropped 10 places in the world rankings after a series of losses. Photo: Getty Images/Fred Lee
Whatever happened to British tennis player Mister Reliable? When Cameron Norrie suffered a routine 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Taylor Fritz in Tokyo on Tuesday morning, it made it seven defeats in eight matches and 11 in total since Wimbledon.
Can we see the reason for this sudden loss of momentum? Week after week, Norrie has been the top choice among British tennis players for the past two years. He may not have created the seismic shock of Emma Raducanu's US Open title, but he did create a minor earthquake of his own when he captured the Indian Wells title less than a month later in October 2021.
< p>At the same time, Norrie said at the stage that his goal was to become the first racket of the world. Even at his peak, that seemed like a lofty ambition for a player who tends to rely on physical toughness as much as his shooting ability. However, it is now slowly sliding down the rankings, dropping to 18th place from 8th place a year ago.
It wasn't until February that Norrie defeated newest player Carlos Alcaraz to add a fifth ATP title, the Rio Open, to his resume. He remained consistent throughout the spring and early summer, without threatening to repeat last year's run to the Wimbledon semi-finals. But the situation has worsened since the American hardcourt began in late July with atypical losses to Alexander Kovacevic (then number 129 in the world), Aslan Karatsev (number 63) and JJ Wolf (number 51).< /p >
The two are dangerous players and Norrie played Kovacevic after a grueling trip to Los Cabos in Mexico. But this is how form can begin to fade. Several matches will turn against you, taking your confidence with it, and suddenly you will find yourself missing important points.
The most difficult balance in tennis is the balance between risk and reward, and a person who lacks self-confidence will fail at the most important moment. You find yourself in a maddening no man's land: if you choose to act aggressively, you will miss, and if you remain steady, you will allow the enemy to dictate the terms. Much of Novak Djokovic's genius lies in his unique ability to navigate this line.
British number two Dan Evans went through exactly the same process in the spring, losing eight of nine matches between mid-April and the end of July. “It’s disappointing that I’m playing well in practice and not putting it out there on the court,” he said at the time. His results eventually changed in mid-summer after a pep talk about Chinese takeout from a couple of buddies. In August, Evans won the biggest title of his career in Washington.
Norrie (third from left) is part of the Great Britain team that qualified from their Davis Cup group. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Dodd
These mercurial fluctuations in form are sure to be on the minds of British Davis Cup team captain Leon Smith when the players fly to Malaga for international duty next month. their quarter-final against Serbia.
Norrie's apparent lack of confidence baffled Great Britain on a couple of occasions during September's qualifying tournament in Manchester. His status as the team's best player looked highly questionable as he lost meekly to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka and then suffered a slightly closer defeat to France's Hugo Humbert. Fortunately, Evans' talent saved Britain.
In normal circumstances, Smith might have considered dropping Norrie against Serbia. But these are no ordinary opponents. Assuming Novak Djokovic is involved — and last week he said he was motivated to play — you're still writing off No. 1 vs. No. 1.
The difficulty here is that the Davis Cup captain cannot change the order of his singles players: he will have to deal with the rankings. So Smith will need Norrie to act as the sacrificial lamb against Djokovic, freeing up Evans to play Laszlo Diere in the all-important No. 2 singles match.
Britain, who start as underdogs, will need Evans. to win that point and then team up with his friend Neil Skupski (the world's fourth-ranked doubles specialist) against a Serbian pair that could include Nikola Kacic or Miomir Kecmanovic, or perhaps both.
Was is it Great Britain? However, things are about to get interesting for Smith to get the win. After three consecutive defeats in Asia, Andy Murray is also struggling for confidence.
The main horses now will be Evans and 21-year-old Jack Draper, who has overtaken world number 13 Alex De Minaur. three hour mark in Tokyo and then lost 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.
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