Cameron Norrie has delivered his thoughts about the atmosphere at the US Open, having lost to Novak Djokovic earlier this week.
His performance against the 24-time Grand Slam champion was an admirable one, as he fought hard, even snatching a set.
However, having admitted to becoming ‘overconfident’ as he seemed to be sneaking back into the match, things swiftly fell apart for the former British number one.
There were a few things that were bothering the 30-year-old during his match, most notably when Norrie complained to the umpire about Djokovic’s tardiness.
When asked whether the US Open crowd had unsettled him, his answer on that matter was rather straightforward.
Cameron Norrie speaks about the crowd at the US Open
Speaking to the press soon after his loss to the Serbian had been confirmed, Cam Norrie rated the atmosphere he experienced at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He claimed: “It is. It’s like a constant chatter of people talking, so I think on any other court, you would be, like, stopping the play, but you kind of have to be ready to play. It’s just a constant noise.
“And I was trying to talk to my team a little bit, and I couldn’t even hear what they were saying, so amazing atmosphere and it’s just weird, you know.
“I had invited some friends to come… couldn’t even find them in the crowd at all, so it’s a very big stadium. It was, yeah, like I said before the match, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else on my Friday night playing against him, and I enjoyed the match a lot.
“I was really happy with my level. There’s always some moments in the match that could have gone better, but I gave it everything and I played my game of tennis, and it was good fun out there.”
Novak Djokovic can start believing in winning the US Open title
Having reached the second week of yet another Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic can finally start believing in his chances of pushing on to win the title.
Especially after not only seeing his own level increase, but also how his rivals are performing too.
Jannik Sinner, despite continuing to win at a relentless pace, has shown signs of weakness this tournament.
At times during his match with Denis Shapovalov, he seemed on the ropes, losing the first set, and finding himself 3-0 down in the third, too.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, has been tearing through opponents, but is far more susceptible to a shock defeat at Djokovic’s hands, as proven by their match in Melbourne earlier this year or at the Olympics last summer.
If Djokovic can continue his form and pull off an almighty upset against the Spaniard in the semi-finals, whilst hoping results elsewhere go his way, there’s no reason why this US Open can’t be the one where he shatters the Grand Slam record.
