Cameron Norrie said he is looking forward to ‘taking it’ to Novak Djokovic after dramatically booking his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The Brit will face the six-times champion on Centre Court on Friday following a thrilling five-set victory over David Goffin in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
And while Djokovic has not lost a match at the All England Club since 2017, 26-year-old Norrie is bullish about his chances of causing a major upset and reaching Sunday’s final.
After a 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win on Court No. 1, Norrie said: “It's going to be a tough one against Novak obviously, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think I'm going to take it to him.
“The last time I played him, he played very good and I think I learnt a lot from that. I think I'm going to approach it a little bit differently tactically.”
And does Norrie think he can beat him?
“For sure,” he said. “I’m looking forward to taking it to him and seeing the level he brings.”
But after struggling for large parts of his three-and-a-half hour contest against the unseeded Goffin, Norrie knows he will have to up his game against Djokovic, who is gunning for a 21st Grand Slam triumph.
He said: “I'm going to have to improve a lot of things. I don't think I'm going to have the chance to lose focus like I did against David. I think I was a little bit fortunate.
Norrie, the first Brit to reach the last four since Andy Murray in 2016, twice trailed by a set against Goffin but raised his game when the crowd got behind him … and William and Kate arrived.
He smiled: “I didn’t notice during the match but I saw them at the end there so that's obviously very special to be playing in front of them."
Norrie and Djokovic have only met once, the 20-times Grand Slam champion easily coming out on top in last year’s ATP Finals.
And the Serb said: “For him, there is not much to lose. Every victory from now onwards is a big deal for him. But I know his game well and I will do my homework and get ready.”
