Cameron Norrie reacts after taking British number one ranking from Jack Draper

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Cameron Norrie became British number one following Jack Draper’s quarterfinal defeat at Indian Wells.

Norrie, himself, reached the quarterfinals in California, losing out to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.

The 30-year-old now sits two places above Draper in the ATP rankings.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Norrie shared his thoughts on becoming the new British number one.

Cameron Norrie says becoming British number one is the ‘cherry on the cake’

“[It was not on my radar] to be honest, but it is something obviously very special,” said Norrie.

“It is the cherry on the cake to be British number one, but there are obviously still 23 guys ranked ahead of me.

“So there are a lot of things, a lot of progressions to be made, but it is something cool and obviously shows that we are heading in the right direction.”

ATP rankings

Norrie took a moment to comment on Draper’s return from injury.

“It is nice to have Jack [Draper] back,” he said.

“I think it’s super impressive to see him, and he is only a couple of tournaments back now.

“For me, with my injury, it took me a while to get match fit and everything, but for him, he is back playing at such a high level, and that was super impressive.

Jack Draper’s injury timeline

• September 2025 – February 2026 – Didn’t play due to arm injury
• February 5, 2026 – Jack Draper wins on return at the Davis Cup
• February 23, 2026 – Jack Draper wins first ATP Tour match since return in Dubai
• March 12, 2026 – Jack Draper beats Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells

“I know how much and how badly he wants to be back playing these tournaments, so it is nice to have him back, especially for the Davis Cup.

“I think it is going to be cool, we are ranked very similarly at the moment.

“We are going to push one another for sure, and hopefully we can have some more matches.”

It’s not hard to understand why Norrie would relish another match with Draper, given their head-to-head record.

Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper’s head-to-head record

Norrie is 3-0 against Draper and has yet to drop a set to his younger rival.

The pair are unlikely to meet at the Miami Open, as they have been placed in opposite halves of the draw.

Fans of British tennis may have to wait a little longer for the fourth instalment of their rivalry…

Can anyone else challenge Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper for British number one spot?

Draper and Norrie are separated by two spots and just 43 points in the world rankings.

However, the gap between Draper and the British number three, Jacob Fearnley, is 1,031 points.

British top 10 – ATP

• 1. Cameron Norrie – 1,753 points (ATP #24)
• 2. Jack Draper – 1,710 (ATP #26)
• 3. Jacob Fearnley – 679 points (ATP #83)
• 4. Jan Choinski – 532 points (ATP #123)
• 5. Jack Pinnington Jones – 456 points (ATP #136)
• 6. Billy Harris – 449 points (ATP #138)
• 7. Toby Samuel – 352 points (ATP #171)
• 8. Arthur Fery – 342 points (ATP #174)
• 9. Jay Clarke – 334 points (ATP #179)
• 10. Oliver Crawford – 309 points (ATP #196)
• 11. Dan Evans – 300 points (ATP #201)

Norrie, Draper, and Fearnley are the only three British men ranked inside the world’s top 100.

The rest of the British cohort enjoy the majority of their success at the Challenger level, and are yet to truly break through on the ATP Tour.

For now, at least, it looks like Norrie and Draper are the only two players in contention for the British number-one ranking.

Norrie will be keen to hold on to the top spot, while Draper will want to return to number one at the upcoming Miami Open.

Receiving a bye into round two, Draper will play either Reilly Opelka or Nuno Borges, and Norrie will play either Alex Michelsen or a qualifier later this week.