Cameron Norrie 'b****ing and whining' at Australian Open as Brit provides injury update
Cameron Norrie gave an X-rated assessment of his attitude at the Australian Open.
Australian Open star Cameron Norrie admitted that he was "b****ing and whining too much" before setting about a remarkable comeback to defeat Giulio Zeppieri and reach the third round. Norrie was two sets down but rallied to win 3-6 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 and set up a tie with Casper Ruud.
Norrie struggled early on against the big-hitting qualifier and could not handle Zeppieri, before rain began to fall at Melbourne and a delay in play allowed the 28-year-old to compose himself and stage a fightback.
Norrie did not offer up a single break point in the third and fourth sets as his new focused attitude set him on the way to victory. In the decider, a 27-point rally at 30-30 on the Brit’s serve went his way to tie at 4-4 before he took a second break point and then served to win.
But Norrie admitted to Eurosport that he was "b****ing and whining too much" early on in the match which hampered his efforts in the opening two sets. “I think it was (a) little bit down to him,” the Brit said.
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“He came out firing and basically took the racquet out of my hand for the first hour and a half. Yeah, I was really flat. Yeah, I was just kind of complaining to myself about little things. Wasn't moving. Wasn't playing clear. I wasn't thinking clearly.
“I just managed to rise the energy a little bit. He dropped slightly. I think when the first rain delay came, I just felt a little bit more calmer coming out to court. I got a chance to chat with my coach and change the game plan a little bit, to play a little bit more to the backhand side.
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“But, yeah, I was really pleased more mentally how I managed to switch it around. I was not kind of feeling good on the court. Yeah, it was not great, but I managed to finish the match. I managed my serve so well from the start of the third.”
Norrie called multiple medical time-outs throughout the contest as his right knee was worked on, days after entering the tournament with a wrist concern. However, he has since allayed fears that the injuries would be a factor against Ruud next.
“I don't think the knee was anything,” Norrie added. “I think I just was a bit more precautionary just to see if I played through, it was nothing. He said it was fine. Actually it loosened up. I think it was probably just being very tense from the match.
“I think I have to make sure I warm up really well. Once the wrist is warm, then I'm not feeling it. So I think it's just trying to stay warm and play and not think about it. I was able to prove that in the first couple matches.
“I think I was making it a bigger deal than it probably was in the beginning of the match. I was addressing it too much. Once I switched my focus and my energy towards how to win and how to play and how to win points, I think that was key.”