Cam Norrie up for the challenge as he aims to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz
Since then Norrie has dropped from eight in the world to a low of 91 while Alcaraz, 22, has won two Wimbledons, two French Opens and a US Open.
Norrie came through a five-setter against Nicolas Jarry (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
The second seed has not looked entirely convincing so far this fortnight, however, dropping four sets including the first in his win over Andrey Rublev on Sunday evening.
Norrie, meanwhile, is on the verge of returning to the top 50 and is playing some of his best tennis since that run here three years ago.
But the Johannesburg-born left-hander will still go into Tuesday's showdown as a huge underdog.
'I think it only gets tougher from now,' he said. 'I've played a lot of tough matches already. Now it only gets tougher.
What a match! Huge congratulations to Cameron Norrie for reaching the quarter-finals, we're all cheering you on.
It's been brilliant to see so much British talent on court at Wimbledon this year, you have all done us proud. https://t.co/Xp6dZqAalm
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 6, 2025
'There's still lots of matches to be played and lots of matches to be won.
'I'm going to play point-for-point as always, and I'm really happy with how I pulled up after the (Jarry) match.
'My body feels good, and I'm in a good place. I've been hitting the ball well. I'm happy to be sure, but (still) a long way away.'
Alcaraz is taking nothing for granted, insisting facing Norrie on home soil is 'almost a nightmare'.
Norrie has beaten the world number two twice, including their last meeting in the final in Rio two years ago.
'First of all, facing Cam is always really, really difficult,' said Alcaraz. 'We had really difficult battles already.
'Yeah, for me facing him is almost a nightmare to be honest. Really tough from the baseline. I'm not surprised he's in the quarter-finals playing great tennis because I've seen him practice.
'He's playing at home, as well, so he's going to use the crowd on his side. I have to be really strong mentally and focused to play good tennis if I want to beat him.'
Norrie is now the last home player left in either draw after Sonay Kartal's defeat by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earlier on Sunday.
'I would have liked to have seen some more guys go deeper,' he added. 'Obviously we had a lot of wins in the first couple of rounds.
Carlos Alcaraz awaits in the quarter-finals (Adam Davy/PA)
'But I'm not really caring too much if I'm the last Brit standing or if they're all here.
'It would be nice to have a few more to kind of deflect and have lots of people to cheer for, and I think in years to come that's going to be the case.
'I'm just taking care of my business and really enjoying my tennis at the moment.'
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Cameron Norrie to face Carlos Alcaraz in his biggest match yet, as Wimbledon fever grips nation for last Brit standing
Norrie has faced the five-time Grand Slam winner six times in four years — winning two and losing four CAM-ING HOME! Cameron Norrie to face Carlos Alcaraz in his biggest match yet, as Wimbledon fever grips nation for last Brit standing Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WIMBLEDON fever will sweep the nation today as last Brit standing Cameron Norrie plays his biggest match in years. Millions are set to watch the home hope, 29, battle double-defending champ Carlos Alcaraz in a quarter-final tie the Spaniard has branded a 'nightmare'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Champ Carlos Alcaraz branded his quarter-final tie against Cameron Norrie a 'nightmare' Credit: Getty Alcaraz, 22, is on an 18-match winning streak in South West London but admitted tricky left-hander Cam was the man he was trying to avoid. And he conceded that downing the Brit in front of 15,000 fans on Centre Court this afternoon would be difficult work. Among them could be close pal Emma Raducanu, who watched Alcaraz's four-set slugfest with Russian Andrey Rublev on Sunday night. Norrie has faced the five-time Grand Slam winner six times in four years — winning two and losing four. A shock win today would see him repeat his heroic foray to the semi-finals three years ago. Norrie recently said his giant lungs helped him in long matches. He said: 'I just randomly did a test. They were like, 'Oh, you must be some deep sea diver… they're huge'. "Since then I've had huge confidence in my cardio. I can back myself in those longer rallies. It's just kind of a false confidence, but I'll take it.' On winning the tournament, Norrie added: 'I'm going to play point-for-point as always.' Alcaraz said: 'Facing Cam is always really difficult, almost a nightmare. "He's going to use the crowd to his side. I have to be really strong mentally and focused.' Cam Norrie's fuming Wimbledon rival Nicolas Jarry squares up to him as Brit wins epic to set up potential Alcaraz clash
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Why wind-up merchant Cam Norrie can be a 'nightmare' for Carlos Alcaraz and take him down to reach Wimbledon semi-final
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The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Jannik Sinner gets reprieve as Grigor Dimitrov forced to retire when two sets up
Sinner rushed around the net to check on his opponent as he sat, in some distress, on the court. Jannik Sinner and physios check on Grigor Dimitrov (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The 19th seed was helped to his feet by two physios and went off to receive treatment, before returning a few minutes later to shake Sinner's hand. It was more dreadful luck for a popular player, who had to retire injured from matches in the last four grand slams, including against Daniil Medvedev here at the same stage last year. Sinner, who helped Dimitrov pack his rackets away and carried his bag off court, said: 'I don't know what to say. He is an incredible player, I think we all saw this today. 'He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player, a good friend also. Seeing him in this position, if there would be a chance he could play the next round he would deserve it. A sight we never want to see. Grigor Dimitrov is forced to retire while leading two sets to love. Everyone at #Wimbledon is wishing you a speedy recovery, Grigor 💚💜 — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 'I hope he has a speedy recovery. I don't take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us. 'In the last grand slams he struggled a lot. Seeing him again having this kind of injury is very, very tough. It's very sad. We all wish him only the best, let's have applause for him.' It was a major reprieve for Sinner, the three-time grand slam winner who looked set to be on the end of a seismic shock in front of a stunned Centre Court. Grigor Dimitrov waves to the crowd after retiring through injury (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The Italian had slipped on the baseline in the opening game and took a medical timeout midway through the second set for treatment on his right wrist and elbow. But the physio was unable to alleviate the real pain for Sinner, which was Dimitrov serving up a grass-court clinic on a surface the 23-year-old has yet to get to grips with. However, after two hours and eight minutes of vintage Dimitrov, his body let him down again, so it is the top seed who will face American Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.
