Over the delirious past 18 months in the life of Cameron Norrie, he had already achieved plenty. He has racked up ATP titles, lifting four trophies along with another five finals. Among his palmarès now is one of the biggest tournaments in the sport, Indian Wells. Two months ago he rose into the top 10. Still top 15 in the ATP race this year, he has not let up.
But during this period of growth and consolidation, there has been one glaring gap in Norrie’s résumé considering the heights he has reached. Until this week, his best grand slam results were a flurry of third-round finishes. He has had some tough draws, losses to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but there were also genuine disappointments. Last month, at the French Open, he thought his time had come for a deep run. It had not.
