"Novak Djokovic pushes you more and more; that messes with your concentration" - Cameron Norrie

Novak Djokovic pushes his opponents to hit the ball with perfect precision, which makes him a difficult opponent to play against, according to Cameron Norrie. The British No. 1 also stated that Djokovic has the ability to return balls that were supposed to be winners.

The Brit was unsuccessful in defeating Novak Djokovic in all three of their meetings so far. Their latest meeting was at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, where the World No. 1 emerged victorious 6-3, 6-4. Norrie found himself in the midst of controversy as he accidentally hit a smash right at the Serb during the second set.

In a recent interview with The Times, Norrie revealed the reasons why Novak Djokovic was such a tough player to play against. The Brit stated that the World No. 1 made his opponents use more force than necessary, which made them lose the point.

“He’s so difficult. You hit a good shot right on the line, should be a winner, and he is still bringing it back. So you have another chance, and you force it, miss the line by a tiny margin, and the point is gone,” said Norrie.

The World No. 13 also opined that Djokovic makes his opponents feel like they need to be perfect, which messes with their concentration.

“He pushes you more and more to the point you have to hit it perfectly. It’s tough not to overplay when you feel like you have to be perfect. That messes with your concentration, and then he’s on you. It’s tough, but that’s the challenge,” he added.

The Brit said it was always a learning experience to play against the top players while sharing his thoughts on the French Open final.

“I watched the [French Open] final with Casper [Ruud] the other day, and the same thing happened. The other guy is playing well, has his chances but is drawn into overplaying, and overpressing. It’s interesting to see how Djokovic does it. The more games against the top players, the more you learn.”

“We are good” - Cameron Norrie on spat with Novak Djokovic

Cameron Norrie on spat with Novak Djokovic

Cameron Norrie revealed that his mini spat with Novak Djokovic over a smash hitting the Serb’s ankles at the 2023 Italian Open is now over. The 27-year-old said he had spoken to Djokovic after the match, and all was well between the two players.

“We are good. We talked. We are fine now. At the end of the day, he won,” Norrie told The Times.

Novak Djokovic was upset with Norrie’s conduct on the court during their Italian Open encounter. In his post-match conference, the World No. 1 stated that while he believed Norrie did not hit him deliberately, the Brit’s behavior during the match was unsportsmanlike.

However, Djokovic also stated that he had got along well with the World No. 13 over the years, and whatever happened on the court was left on the court.