Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 27, 2025 Britain's Cameron Norrie in action during his first round match against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
PARIS (Reuters) -Cameron Norrie was once the world number eight, guaranteed a spot in the main draw of every major tournament, but these days the Briton enjoys his low-ranking underdog status that comes with a lot of fun and lower expectations, he said on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who is 81st in the world, battled past 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the French Open second round.
"I think it's part of the game," said Norrie when asked about how he handles his low ranking.
"For me, you have to accept where you are. For me, I had to go play qualies last week in Geneva. I was so pumped to play, so pumped to prove myself again."
Norrie has won five ATP Tour singles titles in his career and was a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. But he said he now enjoyed being the underdog again.
"It's actually quite fun to have that opportunity now to go," said Norrie, who had to deal with several injuries in 2024. "You're the underdog again, finally.
"You can go and play. Anyone you play, you're most likely the underdog. You can go play, no expectations. It's so much fun. It's a completely different perspective."
Norrie next faces Federico Gomez of Argentina in round two
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
