Cam Norrie has been excelling consistently for well over a year now, and has maintained that remarkable trend in Indian Wells this week.
A former champion at this event, the 30-year-old has yet to drop a set on his way to the quarter-finals, where he will now face Carlos Alcaraz.
And yet, despite the prospect of facing the world number one, who has yet to be beaten in 2026, Cam Norrie seems unfazed.
In fact, he actually seems to know exactly what it will take for him to defeat the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
Cam Norrie previews his Indian Wells match against Carlos Alcaraz
Speaking to Tennis Channel, he laughed as the pundits inflated his chances by outlining his recent successes against Alcaraz.
‘I feel like you’re making me feel like the favourite,’ Norrie laughed. “He’s completely destroyed me. maybe four times in bigger tournaments!”
Are you surprised by how he has coped since Ferrero’s departure? 🤔
He then assessed the task ahead: “No, I’m excited to play against him.
“I always play well when I play him. We always have crazy matches. I feel like he has crazy matches with everyone, but, yeah, I think I’m a tricky guy to play against, and I’m there every single point. And I think sometimes he can struggle with this, but I’m going to have to play well.
“I’m gonna have to fight off multiple break points most games, and I’m gonna have to run a lot, I’m gonna have to be really solid, and I’m gonna have to be unpredictable to have a chance with him.
“He’s playing well, he’s enjoying his tennis more than ever, and I’ve really tried to take that and learn from him with that, and he just looks so relaxed in his matches, and it’s so fun to watch, and he doesn’t look like he has any pressure, so I really love that part about him the most, and I’m gonna try and enjoy just as much as him if I do play him.”
Also asked about the match, and Alcaraz sent a revenge warning to Norrie, given the former British number one won their most recent meeting just last year.
Cam Norrie on practising with Jannik Sinner before Indian Wells
Elsewhere, chatting to BBC Sport, Norrie actually highlighted the practice he had before Indian Wells, which he thinks has set him up for such a strong run at the event.
Ironically enough, it was with Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz’s great generational rival.
He told the story of how, despite having only booked a two-hour session, the Italian implored him to ‘cancel’ any other plans and keep playing with him.
They played for three hours and 20 minutes.
Norrie revealed: “Since I arrived here, I have been practising unreal,” he said.
What do you think is Carlos Alcaraz’s best surface and why?
“I had a practice with Jannik Sinner, it was my first practice here. We had the centre court and it was meant to be two hours, but we were both having an unreal practice and both enjoying it.
“He’s like, ‘No, come on man, let’s keep going’. I had something to do for the tournament and he had a photoshoot to do, and he was just like, ‘Cancel that’.
“I had to text my agent and postpone my thing and we kept going. I think we played about three hours and 20 minutes.
“That really got me going for the tournament and that set the tone really high.”
