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British tennis star Cam Norrie climbs to No. 12 in the world rankings… but his feat is dwarfed by Serbian Novak Djokovic’s record-breaking season as world number one, surpassing the milestone of WTA legend Steffi Graf .
- Cameron Norrie is elevated in the world ranking to number 12
- And Novak Djokovic, 35, celebrated his 378th week overall as world number one.
- The Serbian star surpassed the milestone set by the WTA legend, the German Steffi Graf
Cam Norrie sits elevated in the world rankings at number 12, though like most others, he stands in the shadow of Novak Djokovic’s latest towering achievement.
On Monday, the 35-year-old Serb celebrated his 378th week overall as world number one, surpassing the mark set by WTA legend Steffi Graf.
Djokovic’s feat is all the more remarkable as it comes at a time when he has been banned from competing in the United States due to not being vaccinated, meaning he has only fourteen tournaments contributing to his position in the past twelve months. .
He returned to compete at the Dubai Championships this week after his Australian Open triumph, and has yet to find out if his application to enter the US for next month’s Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami has been successful. successful.
Djokovic’s talent was always going to make him dwarf Norrie’s, but the British number one has become the most admirable figure in any sport: the perennial achiever.
British tennis star Cameron Norrie is elevated to number 12 in the world rankings
The 27-year-old defeated US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz (right) in the Rio Open final on clay
He proved that again on Sunday night when he held his ground in the Rio Open final on clay to beat US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz was throwing a bewildering mix of forehands and drop-shots at him to cut the point short due to issues with his right thigh.
“It was very special, especially the way things played out, it was really difficult to get over the line.” It took a lot of heart,” Norrie said. “I had to suffer, run a lot and dig very deep.”
Norrie again displayed the ingenuity that has now seen him win five ATP titles, the last being his first at the 500 level.
The 27-year-old left-hander would not have considered himself a natural on clay early in his career but, as with many aspects of his progression, he surprised positively and won two of his biggest trophies on brown clay.
Both he and Alcaraz are in the draw for the Mexico Open in Acapulco this week, although on Monday he still wasn’t 100% sure either would play after reaching the last two finals of the South American tour in February.
While the 19-year-old Spaniard is definitely a threat to Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the French Open, there’s no reason Norrie couldn’t race there.
His reliable forehand method, slick backhand, and being able to run all day won’t make him an easy opponent for anyone.
If he had received points for his Wimbledon semifinal last year, he would be in the top ten.
But he, like most, is in the shadow of Novak Djokovic after the Serb celebrated his 378th week as world number one, surpassing the WTA legend, the all-time record held by German Steffi Graf.
One player who will definitely join Emma Raducanu in withdrawing this week is Andy Murray, who withdrew from the Dubai tournament after a grueling week in Doha.
Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association appears close to finally naming a venue for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round on April 14-15, when Great Britain host France.
There are only 47 days left for the tie, and it is the only one in the round that has not yet been assigned a stadium.
With the LTA set to take these events outside of London, The Coventry Indoor Arena has emerged as a potential host for the two-day match.