Can Cameron Norrie Take The Lead For Great Britain At The Davis ...

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 08: Cameron Norrie of Great Britain celebrates winning the first set against ... [+] Novak Djokovic of Serbia during the Mens' Singles Semi Final match on day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

At The Davis Cup on Thursday, there will be no shouts of “Come on, Andy” from Great Britain's corner. Cameron Norrie is the senior player in the squad trying to take down Novak Djokovic’s Serbia. The quarter-final in Malaga might be the opportunity that Norrie needs to regain his form, confidence and, as a result, a more solid backing from British tennis fans.

The New York Times NYT ran a story on Norrie just before the beginning of Wimbledon this July. It read: “He is the top-ranked British player at the tournament. Seven years ago when that was Andy Murray, he won.” That’s an easy sentence to read but a tough act to follow. Norrie lost in the second round to Christopher Eubanks while the Scot had the crowd enthralled in a titanic fight with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Centre Court.

Born in Johannesburg, brought up in Auckland and experiencing the growing pains of a United States College boy, Norrie would be forgiven for thinking that his international upbringing has muted any deep relationship with a domestic audience. Witness Greg Rusedski when Tim Henman was considered the one true homeboy at the quintessentially English experience in SW19.

Britain was short of a winner in men’s Grand Slam singles for 76 years. Until Murray broke through at Flushing Meadows in 2012. When he beat Djokovic at Wimbledon the following year, the holy grail had been redeemed on home soil. Murray even created a marketing agency called 77, the number of years since Fred Perry won at the hallowed grounds.

Everything is a reference point that leads back to the Scot or what the audience might consider more accessible options. While Norrie meekly exited Sw19 in 2023, Liam Broady made the headlines by beating Casper Ruud and showing a keen sense of homegrown humor in his post-match courtside interview. 21-year-old Jack Draper, who is the other singles specialist in Spain this week, also showed glimpses of the future by getting to the fourth round at the US Open.

Norrie is currently ranked 18 and going nowhere fast. He pulled out of the Paris Masters citing exhaustion and aiming to refresh for the Davis Cup challenge. Truth be told, he’s been struggling for months. The former world No. 8 exited the Canadian Open and Cincinnati at the first hurdle, and was hammered by Matteo Arnaldi at the US Open in the third round. Last 32 exits followed in the Japan Open and Shanghai Masters.

The Monaco resident did make the semi-finals at the All England Club last year. This was his moment. It was Centre Court sunshine, the last Friday, the other semi-final was a walkover after Rafa Nadal pulled out, and Novak Djokovic was wearing a cap. Djokovic wore a cap when he lost to Murray in 2013. Norrie won the first set and the crowd got going, something that ultimately jarred Djokovic into urgent action to take over the match and win in four. It was a potential epic that turned into a stroll.

The applause that day is about as good as it has got for Norrie. His fist clenches seem genuine but he is a little mechanical, a bit like Henman, when trying to express emotion. There’s a dissonance there between player and crowd which is unfortunate for someone who has reached 14 ATP finals, beating Carlos Alcaraz in one of them.

Norrie isn’t interested in becoming a Netflix NFLX star to boost his profile. “I think for me it’s more important to keep training as hard as I can and to be known for being a tennis player and a good competitor,” he said rather robotically after a win at Queen's Club. Maybe that dedication to the craft without any perceived 'personality' is an issue.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski of Great Britain celebrate winning ... [+] against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France during the Great Britain v France Davis Cup Finals Group Stage Match 3, on Day 6 at AO Arena on September 17, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LTA)

Norrie lost both his singles at the Davis Cup Group Final Stages against Switzerland and France in Manchester, meaning that the passage to Malaga had to be won in a late-evening thriller as Dan Evans conducted the crowd with two superb comebacks in the singles and doubles. Evans, like Murray, is out injured this week. The latter has always embraced the event, maximising his passion with a personal story this year.

Norrie was one of the clan vocally critical of the lack of ranking points at Wimbledon in 2022 when AELTC decided that none would be given after the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian players. Martina Navratilova scoffed at those who were complaining. “I always played for the trophies, not the points and not the money. So for me, it was Wimbledon and nothing else, everything else came in second, “ the nine-time champion said.

Thursday is a chance for Norrie to step into the breach for his country and embrace a hero moment that rises above these mundanities of tour life. It's questionable whether he can provide one on current form or is comfortable with being a front man. The Davis Cup festival requires the lifeblood of sport- the spectators - to engage with the warriors. Djokovic will relish the chance to kill his prey.