- Cameron Norrie copied Carlos Alcaraz’s party prep before Wimbledon this year
- The Brit warmed up for the tournament with a lads’ trip to party island Ibiza
- Back-to-back defending champion Alcaraz did the same in the last two years
If it’s good enough for the Wimbledon champion, it’s good enough for the British pretender.
Carlos Alcaraz has famously won the last two SW19 titles after clubbing in Ibiza before the tournament, a trick he is trying to repeat again this year.
Now Cameron Norrie has revealed he too warmed up for Wimbledon with a lads’ trip to the party island – and he hopes the ‘Carlos method’ brings him similar success.
The 29-year-old is the last Brit standing in the men’s draw and faces big-serving Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry on his favourite No1 Court on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
This is already Norrie’s best run at his home Grand Slam since reaching the semi-finals in 2022. And the world No61 says learning to enjoy himself off the court has helped his form on it.
‘I was telling my team, “Let’s see if the Carlos method can work” because he went to Ibiza and won Wimby,’ smiled Norrie, who jetted to the Balearic island after last month’s French Open.
Cameron Norrie revealed he warmed up for Wimbledon this year with a lads’ trip to Ibiza
Carlos Alcaraz has famously won the last two SW19 titles after clubbing in the party island before the tournament
Norrie faces Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry on his favourite No1 Court in Sunday’s fourth round
‘I have always wanted to go there so I just went with my best friend for a couple of days. It was good fun. I went to Pacha (nightclub) one night, and the rest of the time we just chilled and played golf. I felt good there. Pretty relaxed.
‘As I’m progressing later in my career, I think it’s important to take time away, become a normal person and have other things going on around tennis. It’s important to enjoy off the court in your own way.
‘When you come to the court fresh, and you’ve had a few days on the beach or a few days in the sun relaxing, you feel ready to compete again. Alcaraz is the perfect example of that. You see him competing and he looks fresh.’
Norrie’s opponent today, Jarry, is the world No143 but was ranked as high as 16 last May before he dropped down the standings after suffering vestibular neuritis – a nerve disorder in the ear.
The condition has led to Jarry struggling with vertigo and dizziness, but at this year’s Wimbledon he has already knocked out eighth seed Holger Rune and highly-rated Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.
‘He’s a great player,’ added British No3 Norrie. ‘He’s serving rockets. When he’s confident, he’s one of the toughest guys on the tour to beat. I’m going to have to really play well.’
