Cameron Norrie was beaten in the first round by American qualifier Michael Zheng.
Norrie lost to Zheng 6(7)-7, 6-2, 6(2)-7, 6-3, 7-6(4) in his earliest defeat at Wimbledon since 2018.
This was part of a disastrous day for British tennis, where unwanted history was made at their home Grand Slam tournament.
After being beaten by Zheng, Norrie admitted that he was left a little surprised by the world number 144.
Cameron Norrie ‘surprised’ by Michael Zheng’s level in Wimbledon defeat
Zheng is 22 years old, but only recently became a full-time professional tennis player after graduating from Columbia University in May.
The American had already qualified for the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, and Zheng has now continued his 100% record in Grand Slam qualifying after reaching the main draw of Wimbledon.
Norrie reflected on his defeat to Zheng in his post-match press conference, where he admitted he was surprised by just how well his opponent played.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” said Norrie. “I played point for point throughout the whole match. Yeah, he played better than me at the end. Really aggressive. I was really surprised with his level. So well done to him.
“But yeah, if I could have had a few more matches kind of leading in, I think I can win this match. There were so many small moments in the match that he did really well to go on his side. So, yeah, credit to him.”
How bad is the state of British tennis right now?
Norrie was then asked a follow-up question about being surprised by Zheng, as he explained just what took him aback.
“Yeah, I knew he was a really tough player,” added Norrie. “He’s one of the best college players, if not the best college player, at the moment. He qualified for both slams.
“I knew he was a good player. I was quite surprised how he handled my game. My backhand to his forehand, he actually quite liked that, which is on the grass probably my most effective play. He was giving me nothing there, which is weird for me. Usually I’m getting so many free points on that exchange.
“I had to adapt in the match. He was adapting well. He was changing his serve. I was not so much surprised, more impressed with his level. Give him a lot of credit.
“Especially the way he won the fifth set, maybe hit seven winners in the fifth-set tiebreaker is pretty good. He deserved it in the end in that tiebreak.”
Where does Cameron Norrie rank among the best British players in tennis history?
Cameron Norrie’s career titles
- Los Cabos Open
- Indian Wells Open
- Delray Beach Open
- Lyon Open
- Rio Open
Cameron Norrie set for ranking drop after Wimbledon defeat
This is a very different Wimbledon result for Norrie than last year, where he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
As a result, Norrie will now lose 390 points and will drop down the ATP rankings.
Norrie is currently set to drop down eight places in the live rankings to world number 37, and he could drop even further depending on other results at Wimbledon.
This ranking means that Norrie is currently forecast to be unseeded at the US Open this year, which would mean he could face anyone from Jannik Sinner in the first round and risk another early exit.
Norrie is also currently 47th in the race to the ATP Finals, reflective of his recent form after now losing six consecutive matches.
