‘I sound like I’ve been smoking’ – Cameron Norrie overcomes sickness to win Madrid opener
British number one Cameron Norrie overcame illness to beat stubborn qualifier Kwon Soon-Woo 7-5, 7-5 and reach the second round of the Madrid Open.
The ninth seed Norrie had to twice battle back from a break down after the South Korean got off to a rapid start, winning the opening ten points in a row.
The South Korean was electric around the court but could not maintain his early intensity throughout the match, with Norrie eventually pulling off the victory with his infamous stamina proving too much for the South Korean.
Post-match, Cameron Norrie discussed the flying start made by his opponent stating he was happy to weather the storm and claim the win.
Norrie told reporters, “(Kwon) got off to a great start in quick conditions.
“I tried to prepare as well as I could, but he’s playing well and came out flying and was really confident. It’s exactly the match I needed in the first round and I am happy to get through it.
“I managed to play a bit better than him in the bigger moments and executed well in the last game.”
The 2021 Indian Wells Masters champion then admitted to feeling ill prior and during the match and counted on Soon-Woo’s energy levels to drop too during the match.
“I’ve been a bit sick; I sound like I’ve smoked a pack of ciggies.
“But I’m feeling better every day and my energy is increasing, so the biggest thing is I was happy to even play this week, and fortunate to get a win like that against Kwon who was playing well.
“I’ve been watching him a lot and he’s been very good, I just didn’t think he could maintain that level, so I got that break back and served really well, I’m really pleased with my performance.”
He is set to face John Isner in the second round, with the American having beaten Serbia’s Filip Krajinović in the opening round in straight sets.
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