While most top players took their first timid steps on clay once spring arrived, Cameron Norrie has spent the vast majority of the year grinding away on the dirt. His clay-court education continued on Friday as he reached the third round of the Italian Open by easing past Alexandre Müller of France, the world No 100, 6-2, 6-3.
Tennis players tend to schedule with their immediate goals in mind, prioritising their favourite surfaces and conditions, but after a Davis Cup tie on clay in Colombia in February, world No 13 Norrie decided to remain in South America and contest the “Golden Swing” in Buenos Aires and Rio.
