British No.2 Cameron Norrie credits ignoring distractions off-court for his ever-improving form this season, having reached the third round at Wimbledon for the first time ever. 

Norrie was the first member of the LTA’s Pro Scholarship Programme, which provides world-class coaching, medical and financial support to Britain’s elite young players with the potential to reach the top 100 within five years.

Only two players have won more matches than Norrie on the ATP Tour this year - Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russia's Andrey Rublev, who are both ranked in the top 10.

Norrie has climbed to a career-high ranking of 34th, leading to him being seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time.

South African-born Norrie, who grew up in New Zealand though represents Britain due to his British parents, lives in Putney, just a handful of miles away from the All-England Club. 

And, after a tough four-set win against Lucas Pouille in the opening round, he is now in the third round of his home Slam for the first time after a comfortable 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win over Australian wildcard Alex Bolt. 

The 25-year-old has been in career-best form in 2021, having reached finals in Estoril, Lyon and at the Queen’s Club just two weeks ago.

“There’s always going to be distractions with different tournaments, different changes in conditions. I think I have done my best to push all that stuff aside and focus on what I can do that day and what I can execute. I think it does help and give me a lot of confidence that I’ve got through some tricky matches,” commented Norrie, who is one of three British men to advance to the last 32 of this year’s Wimbledon – something that has not been done on the men’s side since 1999. 

“I’m feeling comfortable in those bigger matches. It stems from training every day, rocking up every day and giving my best. I am really pleased with how I am doing this year and I have got a lot of things that I want to keep improving. 

“There’s more things I can add to my experience and little things I’ve learnt along the way. I’m happy with how I’m doing but I want to keep pushing for more.”

Norrie may need all that confidence in his third-round match, which is likely to be against sixth seed and eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.

The 29th seed and Federer have never met in an ATP match before, though the Swiss did drop just two games when the two faced off in an exhibition Hopman Cup match in 2019.

“It was a great experience, even to play him in the exhibition match,” said the Brit. “He’s such a legend of the game. He is still playing some very good tennis and looking very sharp out there. It’s going to be a tough one.”

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