Two days after a bruising five-set win against Nicolás Jarry led to his opponent criticising his frequent cheering, Cameron Norrie immediately made it clear that he would remain true to himself even in the face of one of the greatest young talents in his sport’s history. After starting his day against Carlos Alcaraz with a positive service hold, Norrie punctuated that small win with a loud, booming cheer.
Although Norrie was angling for a tight tussle, the stratospheric talent across the net ensured that he did not stand a chance. Alcaraz brushed aside the last British player standing at Wimbledon with the force of his devastating, astonishingly complete game, dismantling Norrie to return to the semi-finals.
With every major tournament he plays, Alcaraz’s CV continues to grow. He has now extended his career-best winning run to 23 and he will contest his eighth grand slam semi-final from only 18 played. Among Spanish men, only Rafael Nadal has reached more grand slam semi-finals than the 22-year-old. He stands two wins away from becoming the fifth man in the open era to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles.
For a player enjoying the best run of form in his career, Alcaraz has still been prone to occasional dips in concentration, but this was his most focused performance of the tournament so far.
He completely overpowered Norrie, an admirably disciplined player who does not have the firepower to match him when he is in full flight. Few do. The left-hander has made life difficult for Alcaraz in the past with his durability and consistency, but their most recent match before this meeting was two years ago. Now, Alcaraz is a completely different player at the grand slam tournaments. Norrie did find some joy in some pockets of play. He held his own when he was able to force Alcaraz into protracted rallies and he took control whenever his opponent missed a first serve, winning 67% of points against Alcaraz’s second serve.
But the world No 2 continues to make strides with what used to be his only weakness – his serve. He served spectacularly, particularly on the important points, firing down 13 aces, landing 72% of first serves and winning 89% of points behind it. Against one of the better returners in the game, 51% of his first serves did not come back.
After three unforgettable wins on No 1 Court, the significance of this occasion meant that Norrie had to finally part company with his favourite stadium in the world as Centre Court beckoned. He actually started well, immediately forcing a triple break point at 1-0. But as Alcaraz gradually settled down, finding rhythm on his serve and range on his forehand, he feasted.
Almost every point was dictated by Alcaraz’s racket and Norrie, 30 next month, quickly suffocated under the relentless pressure imposed by the Spaniard. Shortly after Norrie served a double fault to cheaply hand over the first break, the floodgates opened. He spent the first set scrambling and attempting to chase down every last ball, but most points ended with the ball flying by him.
Alcaraz backed up his serving performance by dominating with his forehand, effortlessly injecting pace into neutral rallies. Under minimal pressure, he had time to do whatever he liked, mixing in drop shots and gliding to the net. Even when Norrie was able to take control with his forehand and force Alcaraz on to the baseline, it was so difficult for the Briton to put the ball past his opponent.
He was everywhere, constantly flipping points from defence to attack with his supreme athleticism. After 1hr 39min, barely over half the length of Aryna Sabalenka’s nerve-racking triumph against Laura Siegemund just before, Alcaraz closed out an easy, efficient victory without issue.
For Norrie, there is no shame in this defeat. This grand slam run has shown he is performing at a high level once again and is capable of re‑establishing himself in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments on a regular basis. After falling as low as No 91 in the ATP rankings in May, he will rise to No 43 next week. He took his first stride forward with his run to the fourth round of the French Open last month and has maintained momentum on home soil with his favoured US hard-court swing to come.
Perhaps even more importantly, Norrie’s outlook on his career has added even greater meaning to these performances. At one of his lowest points in his career, when he was struggling to simply win matches, Norrie resolved to focus on enjoying every aspect of his career. Even in defeat, his past 10 days on the grass courts of the All England Club have been a pleasure and he has positioned himself perfectly for further success in the future.
