Player Features
Norrie, on brink of Top-20 return, prepping to ‘weather the Sinner storm’
Briton will face World No. 1 Sinner for first time on Tuesday in Madrid
April 27, 2026
Mutua Madrid Open
Cameron Norrie in action on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
By Andy West
Cameron Norrie is riding high at the Mutua Madrid Open. Will the Briton’s momentum be strong enough to help him spring an upset on Tuesday when he takes on Jannik Sinner at the ATP Masters 1000 event?
Into the last 16 in the Spanish capital for the second time in his career, Norrie will step on court for his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Sinner knowing he is well placed to return to the world’s Top 20 for the first time since February 2024: The lefty is currently up five spots to No. 18 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
At 30 years old, Norrie counts as a relative veteran in an era in which a number of younger players, not least Sinner and his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, are making a big impact at the top of the sport. The Briton, who turned pro in 2017 after playing college tennis at Texas Christian University, says he can sense that new energy on the court.
“I think the level is definitely improving,” Norrie told ATP Media earlier this month at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. “All the players are improving. I feel the ball speed is going up. There are a lot of next-generation players who [hit] the ball as hard as they can, off both sides, and take the racquet out of your hand. So you have to be ready for that.
“It’s great to improve. You have to weather the storm a bit for the first couple of balls, but it’s all good stuff. I feel that I’m improving as a player, and everyone else is improving. There isn’t really any ‘staying the same’. So I’m really happy to look for ways to improve, and I’m just trying to use my experience to my advantage.”
After claiming a Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in 2021, Norrie climbed to a career-high World No. 8 in September 2022. He remained at least a Top-20 player until early 2024, before a loss of form resulted in him dropping as low as No. 91 last April.
“It’s a nice perspective to have,” Norrie said, when asked if his drop down the rankings had given him the resolve to work his way back up. “This time last year I was struggling a lot to enjoy my tennis. [Now it’s great that I am] healthy, playing and feeling the ball so well. You could easily be saying, ‘I could do better here on this’, but if you look at it with perspective it’s an amazing rise to where I am now. I’m feeling good, so it’s perfect.”
Up next: Sinner in Round 4 🔜@cam_norrie impresses in Madrid, coming through against Tirante 7-5, 7-6(5). @MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/R4XjVa1Pjt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 26, 2026
Norrie’s first tour-level outing against Sinner, who is bidding to make history in Madrid by becoming the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles, comes on what was initially (and arguably still is) the Briton’s least-favoured surface. Yet Norrie is a two-time ATP Tour champion on clay, including at ATP 500 level after he defeated Alcaraz to win the 2023 Rio Open presented by Claro.
“Obviously, I never played on clay [when I was young],” said Norrie, who is a five-time tour-level titlist overall. “The first time I hit a ball on clay was when I was 16, so the movement for me is not as natural as some other players. But I don’t know what it is about [doing well on it] this year and last year, I must just be a bit more of an experienced player now.”
So which diligently improved aspects of Norrie’s clay game should fans look out for as he bids to snap Sinner’s 19-match winning streak and earn his second victory against a reigning World No. 1 after he upset Alcaraz at last November’s Rolex Paris Masters?
“I would say definitely the movement, looking to use the forehand a bit more, and drop shots,” the Briton said. “Just picking the right volleys, and I think just sitting back on some returns to find a bit more depth, and knowing how to defend. All those things. I think if you’re doing it more instinctively, rather than having to think about it last second, [it is better].
“Solving the drop shots [is key] and figuring those out. I think I wasn’t very good at this, and I’m improving. With Alcaraz playing so many, you have to be ready for it, and you have to be able to use it. So many players are defending so well, so it’s definitely a shot that I’m going to try and use a little bit more to surprise the guys. It just adds a bit more doubt into the opponent when you are attacking them, and they have to adjust their court position accordingly.”
