What we talk about when we talk about current British tennis: Emma Raducanu’s rapid rise, and Andy Murray’s nascent comeback. It’s unsurprising that the teenage Raducanu’s truly extraordinary feat of triumphing in the US Open from the qualifying stages – without dropping a set – dominates the conversation. Nor that Murray’s exertions back on the ATP Tour after his hip surgery focus the attention of fans hungry to extend the joys of watching the “big four”. But in the meantime, there’s a sporting success story sneaking under the radar of the public: Cameron Norrie.
It is debatable whether many Wimbledon viewers will recognise the tall, lightly bearded man wearing the rather loose, unfashionable kit with the (natural) silver stripe in his hair, looking like an amiable badger has gone rummaging through the lost-and-found. But though he lacks the aesthetic slickness of his compatriots with their initials-embroidered shoes and eye-popping Nike patterns, Norrie’s lefty topspin-heavy forehand and powerful two-handed backhand provide more than enough X-factor.
