Landmark victory proves Cameron Norrie's elite career did not end on Centre Court
British number two's victory over Carlos Alcaraz helps to banish the memory of his quarter-final hammering at Wimbledon 2025 and gives the 30-year-old's career fresh impetus
He was the last remaining British player in the 2025 Wimbledon singles draws but barely got a scintilla of credit. Instead, for those of us on Centre Court for barely an hour and a half in early July, it felt like we were saying a perfunctory goodbye to Cameron Norrie’s time as a great British tennis hope.
And while this might seem very harsh, that time had not seemed particularly significant. That probably had something to do with the fact that Norrie was born in South Africa, lived in New Zealand for most of his childhood and went to college in the States.
And while he was once ranked eighth in the world, his Grand Slam timeline has not been overly eye-catching - a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon 2022 easily his best performance prior to reaching the last eight on that day in July last year. That was when he was summarily dismissed by Carlos Alcaraz, the young Spaniard almost apologetic in his 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Norrie was a month away from his 30th birthday and it was forgivable to suspect his elite tennis career might be heading only one way. And that is why his victory over Alcaraz in the Paris Masters was so significant.
Norrie - who plays Valentin Vacherot in the round of 16 - ended Alcaraz’s run of nine consecutive finals and 17 consecutive Masters 1000 wins. And while the demolition he suffered at Wimbledon might be the standout memory, Norrie has now beaten the world number one in three of their last five matches.
Norrie’s position in the world rankings - he has been as low as 91st this year - has not been helped by injury issues, a forearm problem being a big concern. But he is now at number 31 and will certainly rise higher if he can beat Vacherot, ranked 39.
And the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over 22-year-old Alcaraz might not just be a springboard for a jump up the rankings - it could be the launchpad for a new, sustained crack at the game’s elite strata. After fighting back to win in three sets, Norrie said: “This is massive.
"This is so big for me. Coming back from injury last year, I lost in the first round of qualifiers here.
“I just tried to enjoy my tennis in the second half of this year. To get a win like this - it’s the biggest win of my career, my first win over a world number one.
"And he is probably the most confident player in the world right now. It's massive for me.”
If Jannik Sinner wins the Paris Masters, he will take over as world number one from Alcaraz, who was gracious in defeat to Norrie while admitting he was far from at his best. Alcaraz said: “I have to give credit to Cam. He played really well, a solid match, and I think that was the key.
“But I was really disappointed about my level. I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear but even in the first set which I won, I felt I could do a lot more than I actually did."
