Yahoo Movies Former TCU tennis great Cameron Norrie is now a budding star in the professional ranks
CNN declared that Britain had a new tennis star. A BBC Sport post on social media about his victory garnered thousands of likes.
Yes, TCU’s own Cameron Norrie is becoming a household name throughout the tennis world. He earned his biggest professional victory to date, winning the ATP Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open last weekend.
Norrie defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in three sets Sunday to win the title at Indian Wells.
He’s the first British player to win at Indian Wells, which some view as tennis’ “fifth major.” He also became the top-ranked men’s player in Britain and is now No. 16 in the world.
“What an incredible week I’ve had here,” Norrie told reporters afterward. “I still don’t really know what I’m experiencing. It was an amazing couple weeks and I’m so happy with how I treated all the occasions, all the big moments, all the matches. Yeah, I’m so happy, so pleased to win my biggest title.”
Norrie, 26, had a standout college career at TCU, joining the program in 2013. He went on to become a three-time All-American and still holds the TCU season singles winning percentage record (.955) after going 21-1 in 2017.
Norrie turned professional in the 2017 summer and has steadily climbed his way up the pro ranks. He’s reached the third round of four straight Grand Slams, including a third-round match that he lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in July.
Norrie is coached by former TCU teammate Facundo Lugones, who played at TCU from 2011-15. The two still train at TCU’s Bayard H. Friedman tennis center during breaks on tour.
“I always thought he was unbelievably good,” Lugones told reporters after the match. “It’s just a matter of when things are going to click and if he can stick to the things that are working and stick to the process. Just not giving up, not being let down by tough moments like we had in the past, some terrible losses, a lot of finals, a lot of really bad losses. It didn’t matter for him. He always had a bigger vision.
“When you have someone with that ability, I think there’s no limits.”
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