AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2023

Cameron Norrie

Press Conference

C. NORRIE/L. Van Assche

7-6, 6-0, 6-3

Q. Well, Cam, I imagine you knew too much going in, and he caused some problems early on.

CAMERON NORRIE: I didn't know too much. I watched some matches and challenges from last year, and he had a really good year last year and won a lot of matches.

And I knew he was a good Junior winning the French Open Juniors. So, yeah, I knew what to expect. He had a really good backhand.

And, yeah, it was a quick turnaround from me going from Auckland. Yeah, I served for the first set twice and didn't -- wasn't feeling the ball as well as I would have liked, but that kind of happens just being so quick from Auckland.

Yeah, I was able to relax a little bit and play a joke in the second set and really took it to him and managed to hold on to my serve in the third.

Q. I know it was a pretty difficult end to the Auckland final after you got yourself in a winning position. How does that take to get over? I mean, was it the next day you are back to normal?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I was disappointed, but I think all credit to Richard. He played better than me down the stretch, and I didn't really do too much wrong.

So that's how tennis goes sometimes. I was pretty disappointed with that, but for me it doesn't change too much. I think it makes me hungry and want to get that title one day.

But, no, it was a good match from him, and I was hitting the ball really well in Auckland, and I was playing some good stuff, so I was enjoying it.

Q. Just wondered how you felt on court because that was a tight turnaround for you from Auckland?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, it was pretty quick, quick turnaround. Yeah, Auckland conditions were quite quick on the Center Court there, and I felt yesterday I played on the KIA Court for, like, 45 minutes, and it was quite cold and windy yesterday.

Then coming out today was quite warm, and the ball felt quite quick through the air. Yeah, took a little bit to find my range with the ball, but for me it was a solid day. I served for the first set twice and didn't play the best game, but played a good tie-break, and then I won nine games in a row and was looking good to keep going and ended up winning in straight. I'll take that after a quick turnaround.

Q. How does it feel to go out against a kid who basically got a free swing at a high seed?

CAMERON NORRIE: For me I didn't obviously know too much about him. I was watching some matches from challenges on YouTube last night and trying to see how he played, but obviously he deserved to be in the draw. He is a good player.

He won French Open Juniors I think last year or the year before, and he won a lot of matches and challenges so he could obviously play. And I felt like he had a really good backhand, but it took for me a little bit to figure him out.

He wasn't really missing too much, so I had to win the points, and there was some long rallies. For me I think his level dropped a little bit after that first set. I know it was pretty physical, and I sustained it, and he dropped a little bit, and I think that was the difference today.

Yeah, nice to get through, and I think he is going to be a good player.

Q. I mean, obviously it seems players often have different opinions about the speed of the courts and the balls and stuff, but I'm wondering whether you think the prevailing conditions here now that you have kind of settled into the tournament could work for you?

CAMERON NORRIE: Yeah, I think for sure I was feeling the ball great in United Cup, and the court really suited me there. I felt it was a little bit slower in Sydney, that court there with the roof.

But, yeah, I think obviously all the courts are different in terms of the speed, with the stadium courts usually a little bit slower than some of the outer courts from previous years. I don't know if it's the same this year.

But, yeah, I think that's kind of the luxury of being seeded and playing on those bigger courts. You get to kind of get used to those, and I think they suit me better. Obviously having more space and I'm getting used to playing more and more on those bigger courts.

But for me I have obviously never done that well in Australia with the conditions, but I'm feeling the ball really well obviously from United Cup and Auckland, and I've played a ton of matches already.

Q. The last three slams you've done your best performances, individual slams. So there must be an expectation in yourself that you've got to maintain that here, you've got to carry that on now in the third round, fourth round?

CAMERON NORRIE: For sure. My goal, again, this year was to play well at the biggest tournaments, and I want to try to do that. And I think it was great preparation. I played a lot of matches in Sydney and a lot in Auckland. And, yeah, I want to keep going and keep playing the best.

I think for me -- I'm even tougher to beat over five sets, and, yeah, being able to sustain the level for longer periods of time is kind of what the key to, for me anyway, playing my game and grinding guys down, and sustaining that level of four or five hours is exactly what I'm trying to do.

Q. You mentioned watching videos on YouTube last night. With the slam obviously you have 48 hours now to prepare for your next opponent, who hasn't quite finished yet. But how much of watching a tape will you do because (inaudible) -- probably not a guy you have played before. So is it a case of does that kind of fall on your coach a bit more, and he brings you the best bits, or will you do it yourself? How did that work?

CAMERON NORRIE: It's a bit of a combination. He is watching him, and I like to watch kind of some matches and usually against other lefties that I've played against previously. And I have actually played Lestienne before. He hasn't won yet. I think he was 2-0 sets up.

He is a tricky player. He has unbelievable hands, and it's his highest ranking in the moment. He has had an interesting journey. Playing his best level now, and he is 30 years old. So I do know him quite well, and I saw him in Auckland, and he is playing great as well.

So, yeah, for tomorrow I'm going to rest up and work on a few things that I didn't do so well today. I think there's a big margin for improvement from today so looking forward to that.

Q. Did you get to see any of Jack?

CAMERON NORRIE: I did. I saw the first two and a half sets, so...

Q. What did you think?

CAMERON NORRIE: I think I knew he had the level, like I said yesterday, to play with Rafa, and I thought he played a great first set, and he was serving well, and the level was really close.

And in the second set he was using his backhand line a little bit more and hitting through the forehand more, but for me not surprising to play close with Rafa. And I know he has the level.

I obviously didn't see the third and the fourth, so I can't comment on that, but I think it's just a matter of him doing it again and again and building the stamina to stay with these guys over four sets, five sets. He has only played a couple of slams now, so it's very impressive to see what he is doing.

For me I'm never surprised with the level of tennis that he is playing. I practice with him a lot, so I think he is on a good path. Hopefully he can get a couple more better draws in the future. So I think not long until he is seeded in the slams as well.

Q. Jack talked about how he has had physical problems. 20, 21, how long does it take to get to that level, would you say, where you have the stamina and the endurance?

CAMERON NORRIE: For him also it was a really quick turnaround. Yeah, I think he is still young, and he hasn't played too many best-of-five-set matches, and I think it's just kind of doing it day in, day out and keep building the load for him.

I think just the way he plays a little bit, he is quite high energy. He puts a lot into every shot as well. So, yeah, for me it's not a question of his level at all. Yeah, it's just going to take a little bit of time.

He has a great team around him, and he has a great coach, and it looks like he is really locked in and wants to improve. So hopefully he took a lot from are today and the experience against Rafa.

Thanks, guys.