Cameron Norrie has battled through a period of uninspiring form since his impressive Wimbledon campaign, most recently losing in the China Open first round to Daniil Medvedev.
After reaching the quarter-finals at SW19, the Brit reached the fourth round of the Washington Open, before consecutive first-round exits in Canada and Cincinnati.
He then reached the third round of the US Open – losing to Novak Djokovic – before being stunned by world number 304 Zhou Yi at the Chengdu Open.
Fans of Norrie will hope he can rediscover some form when he competes at the Shanghai Masters, which is due to begin on October 1.
On Monday, the Brit’s path to potential Shanghai success was revealed.
Cameron Norrie’s tough Shanghai Masters draw
Cameron Norrie’s Shanghai Masters draw paints a rather unfortunate picture, despite receiving a bye in the first round.
Seeded 30th in Shanghai, the Brit will face either Spain’s Pedro Martinez or France’s Arthur Cazaux in the second round.
Both of these opponents present a difficult task for the British number one.
Cazaux, 23, has impressed on Tour this season, reaching the semi-finals of the Gstaad Open before going one step further at the Kitzbuhel Open.
Most recently, the Frenchman won three matches at the China Open [including qualifying], before losing to Jakub Mensik in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez recently demonstrated his ability to defeat the ATP Tour’s very best, stunning Holger Rune during a comeback victory in the Davis Cup.
If Norrie does defeat Cazaux or Martinez, he will likely be presented with the task of trying to defeat world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
Norrie’s record against Alcaraz
Of the seven contests Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie have played on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz has won five.
Their first match came at the 2021 US Open, with Alcaraz winning in straight sets.
A year later, two more victories for Alcaraz followed in Indian Wells and Madrid, before Norrie defeated the Spaniard for the first time at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters.
In 2023, Alcaraz won their next two meetings, in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
Alcaraz and Norrie’s most recent match was contested this year at Wimbledon. Alcaraz defeated Norrie comfortably, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2021 US Open | Alcaraz | 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 Indian Wells | Alcaraz | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 Madrid Open | Alcaraz | 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 |
| 2022 Cincinnati Masters | Norrie | 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 |
| 2023 Buenos Aires Open | Alcaraz | 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2023 Rio de Janeiro Open | Norrie | 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2025 Wimbledon | Alcaraz | 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 |
Norrie has an opportunity to improve his ranking at the Shanghai Masters: he has no ATP points to defend after withdrawing from the 2024 tournament due to a forearm injury.
