Andy Murray may have been kept out of picture by injury but recent months have been a pretty positive time for British mens tennis. Kyle Edmund, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans have been flying the flag high in Murrays absence, with all three currently on the up and inside the top 70 of the world rankings. With Murray about to test his newly resurfaced hip on the doubles court, the British singles focus for the grass court season, which starts tomorrow at Queens Club, will be on a trio of talents. Read more:Murray will struggle to get back to his best after injury, says hip expert They may be primarily focused on their own game, but spending time on tour with each other, practising regularly and playing together in the Davis Cup has helped form a close bond between the group. Its a positive atmosphere to be a part of – and hard-hitting left-hander Norrie believes the mutually beneficial environment is a significant factor in the overall upturn. “Its nice to have other guys around pushing us and having them on our tails,” the British No2 tells City A.M. “Honestly, I just want the best for those guys and it pushes me to want to do better, when you see your friends doing well. You want to do just as well as them. “I havent seen Andy too much with the injury, but its nice to see him back. I hit with Kyle on Thursday and I see him around. Im probably the closest with Dan Evans, who has just come back. I played doubles with him at the French Open. We have a lot of competitive practises and we get along very well.”
Having come through the American college tennis system when studying sociology at Texas Christian University, Norrie feels at home in a team dynamic. His biggest breakthrough came in a team setting, too, with his first taste of the Davis Cup proving to be a perfect one. Norrie – then ranked No114 in the world – showed guts and talent to fight back from two sets down to beat Spains then-world No23 Roberto Bautista Agut at home and on his preferred clay surface in February 2018.
Olympic dream
Now established and much improved following a whirlwind first two years as a professional, the world No50 has set his sights on a place in Great Britains squad for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
“Id love to play at the Olympics and I think itd be pretty special to be there, learning from other athletes, seeing what theyre doing and being amongst the best in the world,” the 23-year-old explains.
“Itd be nice to have peers around you who want the best for you and the camaraderie of having other players and athletes around you – itd be amazing, definitely something Id cherish for the rest of my life if I get to experience it.” This is an exciting period for Norrie. He started 2019 by reaching his first ATP final at the Auckland International, losing to Tennys Sandgren, before climbing up the rankings to a career-high 41 in May through sustained solid form. And although he endured a poor French Open, losing in the first round to world No273 Elliot Benchetrit last month to slip back to No50, overall he feels he made a great deal of progress on clay courts.
Wimbledon motivation
Considering he was merely the top-ranked male college tennis player in the US two years ago and only turned professional in June 2017, its been a meteoric rise to his current position. “If you told me two years ago that Id be ranked where I am right now I would have taken it,” he says. “Honestly there have been lots of ups and downs. There are so many more ways to go for me in tennis – there are still 45 guys in the world who I want to get better than. Its going to be a long procRead More – Source
Andy Murray may have been kept out of picture by injury but recent months have been a pretty positive time for British mens tennis. Kyle Edmund, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans have been flying the flag high in Murrays absence, with all three currently on the up and inside the top 70 of the world rankings. With Murray about to test his newly resurfaced hip on the doubles court, the British singles focus for the grass court season, which starts tomorrow at Queens Club, will be on a trio of talents. Read more:Murray will struggle to get back to his best after injury, says hip expert They may be primarily focused on their own game, but spending time on tour with each other, practising regularly and playing together in the Davis Cup has helped form a close bond between the group. Its a positive atmosphere to be a part of – and hard-hitting left-hander Norrie believes the mutually beneficial environment is a significant factor in the overall upturn. “Its nice to have other guys around pushing us and having them on our tails,” the British No2 tells City A.M. “Honestly, I just want the best for those guys and it pushes me to want to do better, when you see your friends doing well. You want to do just as well as them. “I havent seen Andy too much with the injury, but its nice to see him back. I hit with Kyle on Thursday and I see him around. Im probably the closest with Dan Evans, who has just come back. I played doubles with him at the French Open. We have a lot of competitive practises and we get along very well.”
Having come through the American college tennis system when studying sociology at Texas Christian University, Norrie feels at home in a team dynamic. His biggest breakthrough came in a team setting, too, with his first taste of the Davis Cup proving to be a perfect one. Norrie – then ranked No114 in the world – showed guts and talent to fight back from two sets down to beat Spains then-world No23 Roberto Bautista Agut at home and on his preferred clay surface in February 2018.
Olympic dream
Now established and much improved following a whirlwind first two years as a professional, the world No50 has set his sights on a place in Great Britains squad for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
“Id love to play at the Olympics and I think itd be pretty special to be there, learning from other athletes, seeing what theyre doing and being amongst the best in the world,” the 23-year-old explains.
“Itd be nice to have peers around you who want the best for you and the camaraderie of having other players and athletes around you – itd be amazing, definitely something Id cherish for the rest of my life if I get to experience it.” This is an exciting period for Norrie. He started 2019 by reaching his first ATP final at the Auckland International, losing to Tennys Sandgren, before climbing up the rankings to a career-high 41 in May through sustained solid form. And although he endured a poor French Open, losing in the first round to world No273 Elliot Benchetrit last month to slip back to No50, overall he feels he made a great deal of progress on clay courts.
Wimbledon motivation
Considering he was merely the top-ranked male college tennis player in the US two years ago and only turned professional in June 2017, its been a meteoric rise to his current position. “If you told me two years ago that Id be ranked where I am right now I would have taken it,” he says. “Honestly there have been lots of ups and downs. There are so many more ways to go for me in tennis – there are still 45 guys in the world who I want to get better than. Its going to be a long procRead More – Source
