Cameron Norrie has spent much of his career relishing the physical, defence-based playing style that has driven him; his ability to grind any given player on any day in to the dust.
This week in Melbourne Park, however, Norrie has shown something more. He has played with a renewed freedom and variety that has elevated his game, which he demonstrated by going toe‑to‑toe with one of the best players in the world before narrowly losing 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) against the sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
“It’s disappointing, but I think it’s nice to know I’m just looking for ways to evolve my game,” Norrie said. “Yeah, I was toe‑to‑toe with him, and I think it just shows. I got absolutely chopped by him at the end in Vienna in the last year, and I managed to take a completely different approach.”
The 4hr 5min battle marked the end of a brilliant tournament for Norrie, the 19th seed, in his first foray to the second week in Melbourne. Most notably, he did so by playing more freely and proactively, both committing to his attack and showing off his ability to move forward to the net and disrupt with drop shots.
Midway through the contest, a protester in support of Palestinian people briefly interrupted play by throwing leaflets on to the court. They read “WAR CRIMES AND GENOCIDE” and “FREE PALESTINE”. The protester was removed from the court by other spectators.
For the second time in as many matches, Norrie stepped on to the court for an extremely difficult match‑up against a player with an unbeaten record against him. After brilliantly defeating the 11th seed Casper Ruud, who had won all three previous meetings, he found himself facing Zverev who he had lost to in all four of their ATP matches in straight sets.
Although Norrie opened the contest serving well, Zverev’s imperious serving put so much pressure on him to hold. It took just a couple of loose service games for Norrie to trail by a set and a break at 7-5, 3-2. But Norrie responded with an excellent return game and he flitted through the remainder of the set on the front foot; he served brilliantly, laid into his forehand down the line and targeted Zverev’s faltering forehand.
Zverev’s response came quickly in the third set. He re-established his dominance on serve, tearing through his service games with ease, and he made Norrie pay for another poor game on his serve as he claimed a 2-1 lead.
A set from defeat, Norrie played some of his best tennis throughout the fourth set. He again stepped inside the baseline and dictated the exchanges, pairing his aggression with delicate drop shots and intelligent forays to the net.
Then came the final set. Each time Zverev pushed, Norrie responded. First he held Zverev off in a spectacular game at 3-3, saving three break points with relentless aggression before holding serve. Then, down 0-30 at 5-5, Norrie pulled himself from the abyss on his own terms and forced a decisive tie-break.
After finding such a great balance in his attack for much of the match, Norrie’s level cascaded when it mattered most. He began to overplay the drop shots, missing two in a row, then double faulted at 5-2 down. Presented with such a big opportunity at a significant point, Zverev, with all of his experience, did not need any further encouragement to clinch the match.
Four hours after he entered, Norrie departed Margaret Court Arena to a standing ovation. He had ended last season burnt out and sustained a wrist injury on the eve of the Australian Open. Despite those issues, Norrie found his form in the early rounds, and has since played some of the best tennis of his life. In the process, he has positioned himself for a great season.
Zverev, meanwhile, continues to win while under significant scrutiny after the Berlin criminal courts revealed before his first‑round match that the German would face a public trial later this year for physically abusing his former girlfriend Brenda Patea, who is the mother of his child. Zverev denies the charges.
Zverev will next face Carlos Alcaraz, who played his best match of the tournament as the No 2 seed dismantled Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. With his victory, Alcaraz is the fourth youngest man to reach all four grand slam semi-finals.
In the other quarter‑finals, Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev will face Hubert Hurkacz, and Jannik Sinner will meet Andrey Rublev.
