US OPEN

August 30, 2022

Cameron Norrie

Press Conference

C. NORRIE/B. Paire

6-0, 7-6, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Can you just talk us through the match from your perspective.

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, obviously I came out pretty sharp, and I started up a break. He kind of went away into the first set.

It's tough, you know, winning a set 6-Love against a guy who is dangerous and can serve really well, and I managed to hang with him. He played a really loose tiebreak. He rushed a lot in the third set, and it was all going very quickly, but I'll take it. You know, it was pretty hot out there, and nice to get it done in straight.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Obviously you got through efficiently in the end, one tough set, two straightforward sets. Does it at all bother you to see a player down at the other end not apparently giving his best effort? Or do you just think, Oh, great, I'll just take the points?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, it's tricky, especially how Benoit plays. He obviously plays with a lot of flare, he can come forward very well and serve well at times. It's tough. He plays very quickly, and I don't mind that. You know, I can play quick on returns and play to the server's speed.

Yeah, I think he played maybe a little bit too quick and made some errors that he probably wouldn't usually make.

Yeah, for me, I just try to make it a really physical match and make the rallies long. Obviously it was really hot, and maybe towards the end of that third set he was playing really quick and trying to make the points really short, and maybe the heat was getting to him.

But, yeah, it was a tough second set. And he's dangerous. So for me, I was just trying to concentrate and stay locked in and try and work on a few things out there.

Yeah, like I said, nice to get it done in straight sets.

Q. Is it good for the game when a player is perhaps seemingly, from our perspective, not producing his best effort?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, you can ask him, but for me, it's tricky, because he looks like he's not really there and he can come up with a few good shots and a few big returns. In that third set he was Love-30 a couple times, 15-30, and that's when he's very dangerous. I think he's an exciting player to watch and he's a really nice guy. And, yeah, I think his hands are unbelievable.

But, yeah, I think it's, I mean, yeah, it's unfortunate, I think he played a little bit too quick, and at the end of the day I went out and did my job.

Q. Having spent a fair bit of your early adult life in America, do you get a sense of comfort, familiarity, when you get back to the American tennis culture that makes you feel more at home here than maybe in certain other parts of the world?

CAMERON NORRIE: Look, I think I just really like playing on the hard courts, and I think it's my favorite surface. I guess visiting the U.S. in general, everything is pretty easy. There is always good options for food and everything and they know how to run events like this.

I really love New York in general. So I think there is a lot of things to like about it, and for me especially the conditions and the way the court plays and it favors my game. So I think I feel good coming here, and then I also feel good leaving here, as well. I like visiting it a lot, for sure.

Q. You said the other day hot, humid, slow, and bouncy, probably your best conditions, most unpleasant for everyone else. Do you look at the weather forecast and keep hoping that number goes up? Is there a number you might even say, 35, 36, no thanks, or do you just want to make your opponents sweat?

CAMERON NORRIE: No, I'll play whatever the conditions are. It was really hot today, like so humid. Yeah, really warm.

I think the court is playing pretty quick when it's like this warm. So I think I was just trying to be out there and manage it. And I think I saw today that the heat rule is in effect. So if it gets hotter than this, it's less about tennis and more about just kind of getting through the suffering over and who can be tougher out there and who can be more physical.

I think that can suit me better at times, as well. Yeah, it's not great for the fans, not great for the players. You know, in my match we had to stop for about five or ten minutes there. I think someone fainted, obviously it being very hot. It's not ideal for the fans as well, for sure.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your backhand, because a lot of American commentators say it reminds them of Connors. Have you heard that before? Was he an inspiration when you were developing your game?

CAMERON NORRIE: No, but I'll take the comparison, for sure. But no, I didn't. I haven't really watched too many highlights of Connors, but it's a different one, I think. A lot of players, the ball is coming, they are not used to the ball coming so flat from that side and from the deuce corner. I think it's pretty different to see for a lot of players.

I think it's a different shot from the rest of my game. Obviously my forehand is pretty spinny and it's kind of like a little bunt and it can land pretty short at times, as well. Yeah, it's just a natural shot for me.

Q. I know the Texas heat is no joke. Was there ever a time you didn't like playing in such conditions like this, where you struggled?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I mean, look, it's not like I love it, you know, can't wait for it to be boiling and that. I just think when it comes down to it, it can take away from the tennis a little bit and more down to who can suffer more and who can get through it and be tougher and make good decisions when their heart rate is up and when they are not feeling that great physically.

I think in general when I'm doing physical activity, could be fitness or obviously playing tennis, I think I'm pretty decent when I'm suffering and I tend to make sometimes even better decisions when I'm kind of under the pump and I'm moving and it's getting tough and getting physical.

But I think the heat adds to that, and I obviously played a lot in Texas where it was boiling in the summers and boiling towards the end. But I'm sweating quite a lot, as well.

Yeah, don't really think about it too much. I'm more focused on just trying to improve in the level and the tennis and the tactics.

Q. Did you take any coaching from Facundo? And in relation to that, was it a bit odd that Carlos Bernardes was saying you can't talk to your coach when the guy fainted in the crowd? A bit odd.

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, today I didn't talk with Facu at all. The only time Benoit went to go talk to him and he straightaway said to not to. I get the idea of it, trying to keep the conversations short, but he didn't really give Benoit a chance to even start the conversation with the coach.

So I think, yeah, it's a tricky one. You know, they are letting you coach. Then they're like, No, no, no, you can't spend too long. It's kind of tough with the gray area.

For me, it's not going to change much. Yeah.

Q. On Benoit again, you mentioned what a nice guy he is and he's spoken quite a lot about the struggles he's had with his mental health. Any moment out there where you found it difficult to concentrate on your job and even felt sorry for him? Did you struggle to concentrate on your job? You said you have got to try and stay professional. Did you at any time feel sorry for him?

CAMERON NORRIE: Today in the match? Honestly, no. I was trying to play and trying to win every point and trying to get through. That's my ultimate goal and was not thinking, Oh, he's having a tough day today. No, I was trying to win every point I could, and trying to get off the court as quick as I could.

I wasn't thinking about him or how he's doing or anything. I'm trying to just focus on myself. Unfortunate obviously it was tough for him that he had a tough day and that.

But like I said, on the days I'm not playing him I wish him all the best. I'm always saying hi to him. He's a really good guy. Everyone loves him on the tour, and he's super talented, as well. Yeah, I think he has days like this, it's tough to be consistent on the tour playing like that.

Q. I was wondering, how does that factor into your preparation when you are playing someone like Benoit who you know he has a capacity to do that? Is it difficult for you to stay in the moment?

CAMERON NORRIE: Look, I mean, everyone knows Benoit and he's flashy and he can play well, play really good matches. I was, like, look, I'm going to go into the match and try and make it as tough as I can for him.

For me, I have prepared as well as I can. I have got a lot of matches, a lot of wins this year. I have got a lot of confidence on my side. I have got this week to rest, got to dictate my schedule. I was not really over looking and trying to look for ways to play Benoit.

I think the matchup was pretty good, and I tried to take care of business as well as I could, and I think it was pretty standard. He played really, really well in the second set, served well, and returned. That one game, I didn't make many first serves and he took it to me and broke me in that one, but I managed my service games well and executed the game plan well.

It was a pretty solid day.

Q. Before the tournament, you said that you are trying to be more picky with your serving and returning spots. Curious, how do you go about improving that? What's the challenge of improving those aspects of your game?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I think just spending more and more time on the practice court and when kind of looking to judge the serve in the practice, being really picky on what's a good one and what's not, trying to get close to the line and really hitting the spots well.

Like today I was trying not to give too much away on the second-serve return and try to put a lot of pressure on him and I was able to do that and didn't really give too many freebies away. So it was good, but, yeah, I have got tomorrow to work on that and work on a few other things, which will be great.