“Novak Djokovic makes a million returns; Rafael Nadal, hands down, best competitor” – Cameron Norrie builds his perfect tennis player

British tennis player Cameron Norrie has picked Novak Djokovic's return-hitting ability and Rafael Nadal's competitive mindset while building his perfect tennis player.

Norrie ended his 2023 season with Great Britain's quarterfinal finish at the Davis Cup. His side lost to Novak Djokovic-led Serbia in the last-eight matchup. He's set to fulfill national duties again as he heads to Australia for the 2024 United Cup.

Great Britain have been drawn in Group C alongside Australia and the United States. Norrie will be accompanied by Dan Evans, Neal Skupski, Katie Boulter, Fran Jones and Maia Lumsden.

The Brit recently sat down with the ATP Tour to build his perfect player. For 'Return', he picked Djokovic, saying:

"The guy makes a million returns and so much depth, the ball comes back every time."

Furthermore, Norrie selected Rafael Nadal for his mental toughness.

"Rafael Nadal! Hands down! Best competitor. The guy’s unreal and all the stats he’s got everything. He plays points in points out better than anyone," Norrie said.

The World No. 18 went for Russia's Andrey Rublev for the 'Forehand'.

"Forehand, I’m going to go with Andrey Rublev. I mean on the return, on playing against the short ball, the guy is so accurate and he hits it probably the hardest than anyone," Norrie added.

Compatriot Andy Murray was Norrie's choice for 'Backhand'. He said:

"Backhand, Andy Murray! He has unbelievable hands, really good slice as well so I’m going to take Andy."

Australia's Nick Kyrgios made Norrie's list for possessing a "perfect" serve.

"Serve, Nick Kyrgios! No justification is needed. For me, he puts the ball toss in the perfect position every time. It’s really tough to read his serve. He has every serve, kick, slice, hits the spot, he can go body huge, simple motion and under pressure it’s unreal," Norrie told ATP.

Notably, the 28-year-old picked Daniil Medvedev for 'Speed', Dan Evans for 'Slice' and Sebastian Korda for 'Net Game'.

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Cameron Norrie has defeated Rafael Nadal once, yet to beat Novak Djokovic

Cameron Norrie

Cameron Norrie has defeated Rafael Nadal once but is yet to defeat Novak Djokovic in a one-on-one duel.

Norrie has faced Djokovic four times to date and has lost every time. He played his first match against the Serb in the 2021 ATP Finals. Most recently, the duo came face-to-face at the 2023 Davis Cup in the quarterfinals, where Djokovic trounced him in straight sets to power Serbia through to the semifinals.

Against Nadal, the Brit registered his first success at the 2023 United Cup with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. Prior to that, Norrie locked horns with the Spaniard four times and failed to cross the line on all four occasions. The duo first met during the 2021 Australian Open.