Cameron Norrie out of French Open as Djokovic ends best run

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

Norrie was playing his biggest match since the 2022 Wimbledon semi-final, which he also lost to Djokovic.
He did at least grab a set that day, but in Paris the 29-year-old was emphatically swept aside 6-2 6-3 6-2, a sixth career defeat in six meetings with the Serbian.
Norrie had gone into the match buoyed by what he self-deprecatingly called the 'vintage, seven out of 10 tennis' he has been playing.
But he did not even hit those modest highs as Djokovic eased to the first set.
It could not have been bothering him that much, however, as he had been partying with Paris St Germain's players at their Champions League parade the night before.
'Maybe he's not that concerned about playing Cam Norrie,' was the damning assessment of TNT Sports expert and former British number one Tim Henman.
The celebrations even spilled over to Court Philippe-Chatrier, with PSG star Ousmane Dembele bringing out the European Cup before the match – which is the closest Norrie will get to a trophy this fortnight.
Djokovic, meanwhile, still has designs on a fourth Roland Garros title, and a record 25th grand slam crown.
His level briefly dipped at the start of the second set to give up a break, but that advantage was swiftly snuffed out.
Norrie then needed his medical time-out after seeming to tweak something in his foot, before he was promptly broken as Djokovic moved two sets up.
Another poor service game from Norrie gave Djokovic a foothold in the third and the 38-year-old duly wrapped up a comfortable win in a little over two hours.
Still, it has been a successful campaign for Norrie, who should find himself back in the world's top 60 ahead of the grass season, having dipped as low as 91 following a rough couple of years.
'It was for me a really enjoyable clay season,' he said. 'I think I played 20 clay-court matches, and for me that's huge.
'Really, the way for me to take confidence is playing matches and then actually getting through some tough matches. I won a lot of tie-breaks recently, so I can take so much confidence and momentum from this.'
In the quarter-finals, Djokovic will face German third seed Alexander Zverev, who came through against Tallon Griekspoor after the Dutchman retired injured in the second set.