Cameron Norrie to 'bring more energy' vs Carlos Alcaraz despite 'annoying' jab from Wimbledon rival
'I'm excited to play against him and I'm going to have to play my best level, and even better, to have a chance because he's got such a diverse game,' Norrie said.
'I'm going to have to be tough and bring more energy to have a chance.'
On his way to the last eight, Norrie has drawn criticism from former opponents, namely Nicolas Jarry and Frances Tiafoe, for his animated court presence.
'He was super‑amped,' Tiafoe said after Norrie beat him 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round. 'He was saying 'c'mon' from the first game, which is definitely annoying, but that part bothered me more than the crowd.'
Jarry was also displeased during their fourth-round encounter, calling out Norrie's loud celebrations and the time he took between second serves.
Despite the scrutiny, Norrie has made it clear he isn't changing anything about how he competes.
'We're playing and we're competing for livelihood out there,' he said. 'So I want to compete as hard as I can, and I'm not going to tank matches and roll over matches for someone else. I'm doing it for myself, I'm not doing it to make someone else feel bad.
'I am not doing it for that. I think that is my energy. If they take it personally, it's nothing to do with me. I'm going to have to be tough and bring more energy to have a chance with Charly.'
Norrie on his win vs Jarry
Reflecting on his five-set win over Jarry; 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, Norrie added: 'He said I was a little bit vocal and I think: 'That's my energy.' A couple of people have not been too happy with it, I think it's been in a big match.
'I think they want to win the match as well, so it's understandable to maybe take it personally. But for me, I'm just aiming it at my team and aiming it at some people and some friends in the crowd.
'I think it was a match where there's some moments with not a lot happening. I think some of the points are maybe not worthy of saying 'vamos' or saying 'c'mon' but it was a match that I really had to do that, because those points that don't mean a lot — if you lose those ones — you can get broken, and the match can go away from you very quickly.'
While Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 4-2, it was Norrie who came out on top the last time they met.
'Facing Cam is always really, really difficult,' Alcaraz said. 'We have really difficult battles already. For me, facing him is almost a nightmare, to be honest. He is really tough from the baseline.'
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