US OPEN

September 3, 2022

Cameron Norrie

Press Conference

C. NORRIE/H. Rune

7-5, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Three sets, just a little over two hours. Your thoughts on your performance today.

CAMERON NORRIE: I thought I played a bit better than I did in the previous match, so that was great. I felt way more comfortable. It was nice to be on Grandstand.

And, yeah, it was tough kind of playing against Holger. He can come out and play very aggressive and can come forward very well. He's extremely talented, and he's a young up-and-coming player, but it was nice to get through in straight.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. During the match, Holger went to the umpire and was unhappy with your ball toss, if you like, like you'd throw it in the air and catch it before the first serve. Were you doing that on purpose to unsettle to him? What was the reason?

CAMERON NORRIE: No, I was not doing it on purpose. Yeah, I think it's even better for him. I'm struggling with a ball toss a couple of times, and I think -- I didn't hear what he said -- but I think it was the fact that if I throw the ball toss up, the ref was maybe stopping the clock, the time clock.

I don't know. Yeah, I think it can be annoying to return, but wasn't too bad. It was a couple times, and I would say even better for him. Yeah, I was not doing it on purpose.

Q. Did you notice him talking about it? Were you just in your own bubble?

CAMERON NORRIE: I think it was just the once. He said something once, and it was no more, so I wasn't too worried. It was a couple times I did it. But, yeah, no biggie.

Q. I'm not saying you do it, but it's like a loophole, isn't it, that if you throw the ball up and then recatch your toss, you can then have as much time as you like essentially to reset?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I think sometimes it depends, sometimes it's different, you know. Sometimes I see the clock still rolling. Sometimes they stop it. I play pretty quick in between points anyway, so I still have a lot of time left regardless.

Yeah, I'm not doing it on purpose. I'd love to go out there and have a perfect ball toss every time and get up there and hit rockets.

Yeah, it can happen sometimes. And, yeah, I'd rather play quick. I like to play quick. Yeah, I wasn't doing it on purpose.

Q. This used to be the stage of a Grand Slam tournament which was maybe seen as a hurdle for you. But having sort of broke through it at Wimbledon, did you feel yourself more confident on the court today?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, for sure. Especially ticking that box to make the second week for the first time, that was huge for me. It was a big goal of mine to play well at slams and play deep in slams, and to have these matchups.

I think it does help, you know, going into the tournament, being ranked where I am, being seeded where I am. Obviously Wimbledon, didn't get the points there, so maybe I could have been a higher seed anyway.

But, no, I think it's great, you know. Coming into these matches, I don't think I played great against my first couple rounds. I was able to feel a lot more relaxed today and kind of use that momentum from those matches to get through those tough ones where I didn't really play great to playing a lot better today.

Yeah, I think it's great with the seeding. You can work your way more into the tournament than going out there, having to play a top seed early on.

So it was a good match today, and I was happier with how I performed. I still got a lot of things I would like to improve, and I got tomorrow to do that.

Q. On the court you said you were aiming to get it to two hours and then the match began. I remember you said that at Wimbledon, maybe the Goffin match. Wondering when you decided on that as a tactic. Obviously there are players with great stamina around the tour but never heard anyone kind of say that.

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, when I talked to Facu this morning about tactics, I told him, Look, I think it's big we get to two hours and make the match as physical as we can, and then the match starts from there.

I think just went two hours and he kind of dropped his intensity, and started playing too aggressive, in my opinion, and was missing a lot.

I feel like I did my job. I got to two hours and I was able to -- then the match started, and then I was able to get it done pretty quickly after that. I was feeling better and better as the match went on. I was able to stay very calm, kind of serving for -- well, at the end of the first set and end of the second set, serving that game, that really tough game in that second set. I think that was the difference today.

Then I ran away with the third.

Q. When you are planning out, say, first two hours and so forth, are you looking at how other people are faring, heat, things to plan out your tactics? When you are at this stage of a slam, do you pay attention to what's going on around you, or do you try and kind of create a bubble?

CAMERON NORRIE: No, you're always aware of what's going on, who else is playing, anything, the conditions, how hot is it going to be, everything. I felt like playing first typically in New York it can be pretty hot, pretty humid. It wasn't too bad today.

But for me I just wanted to do that for obviously Holger is pretty young and I have seen him cramp a few times in a couple points when it can be quite hot. I was, like, look, I want to try and make it as physical as I can and make rallies longer and do that, and I was able to get to two hours.

Yeah, I thought it was a pretty good match for me.

Q. Your next opponent, we don't know who it's going to be yet, but could you talk about Denis and Rublev and what challenges those two present.

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, they're both great players, a lot of experience. I feel like at times they can take the racquet out of your hand and be very, very aggressive.

For me, regardless of who I play, I think I'm going to have to be very proactive and be the one dictating the point as much as I can. Obviously there's going to be times, a lot of times I'm going to have to defend, but I'm going to have to be aggressive and take it to those guys.

Yeah, when they've got time and they're set, they're very dangerous. They're both very experienced players and they've gone deep at slams, both of them.

It's going to be a big match for me and a tough one.

Q. Does playing fast have an advantage in that thing of grinding down your opponent, keeping them tired and out of breath, or is it just the way that you enjoy running a match?

CAMERON NORRIE: No, I don't mind, you know. I will play whatever speed -- I mean, I don't mind playing quickly and playing fast. You know, as a spectator, I think it's better. You get to watch more, there's less time between points and makes it more interesting than watching players go through their routines and go to the towel a lot and waiting a lot to play a lot of points.

I think as a spectator, it's better to play quicker, and it's better for the sport. But for me, you have to play the server's speed. I typically on serve have slowed down a little bit, but I play pretty quickly in general.

Q. I wanted to ask you about a player on the other side of the draw, Nick Kyrgios. Wonder what you thought about how he's been able to turn around his career in the last three months. How would you characterize what you thought of him? Would you say it's surprising?

CAMERON NORRIE: For me, I love to see him doing well and being this locked in, really enjoying his tennis and competing the way he is and going about his business. Looks like he's really back enjoying his tennis, and he's such a crowd favorite. I love watching him and I love watching him play these matches.

Yeah, I think it's really interesting for the men's game to have him back, and it's going to be a great match tomorrow with Daniil. I think obviously with Nick winning last time, it adds a bit more drama to it.

I'm really proud and impressed that he's back playing at the level he is, and he's back giving himself chances to win slams. He's looking in really good physical condition, so he's obviously been working hard. For me, I'm friends with him, so I'm really proud to see him enjoying his tennis again and back competing.

It's good to see, and I really, really like watching his matches in general.

Q. You are such a physically fit bloke. You like to push yourself against your opponent. Outside of tennis would you ever consider running a marathon or...

CAMERON NORRIE: I would maybe like to after tennis. I quite enjoy running, but I haven't been able to do that much. You know, I feel like when I'm resting, I have to chill and relax rather than I think maybe three years ago my team were like, All right, rest, and then I'll go the next day and run a little bit.

I feel like now I've been a bit better with that and not really going out and running too much. I'm able to kind of rest and maybe do something different, try to play golf or do something like that than go out and run.

I mean, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it too much, but I'm a decent runner, so it would be nice to maybe do that maybe when I'm done with tennis. I actually lost in my Fantasy Football last year and I still owe a half marathon. I still need to do that.

I came last in one of my Fantasy leagues, so I still have a half marathon. I need to pick a good time to do that.