Putney’s Cameron Norrie saw his inspired French Open campaign come to a close on Monday, as he was outclassed by Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
It was a tough draw for the 28-year-old Brit, who had shown real grit to reach the last-16 of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon 2022 — and for the first time ever in Paris. But the mountain proved too steep, with Djokovic in clinical form as he booked his place in a record 19th French Open quarter-final.
This was the sixth meeting between the two players, and Djokovic — seeded sixth in the tournament — extended his head-to-head dominance to 6-0. Norrie, ranked 81st in the world, briefly had the world No. 1 rattled in the second set, going a break up and producing some of his best tennis of the tournament. But the Serbian superstar responded as champions do.
“I was a little bit flat in some moments and I think that was the difference,” Norrie said to the BBC after the match, reflecting on the level Djokovic was able to maintain across three sets.
Stunning return to form
Norrie’s journey through this year’s draw was already one of the stories of the tournament. In the first round, he stunned 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, and followed it up with wins over Pavel Kotov and fellow Brit Jacob Fearnley in a tightly contested domestic clash.
His run comes after a challenging 12 months in which injury and form saw him slide down the rankings. But the signs in Paris suggest the former top-10 star is on the way back — and ready to compete again on the biggest stages.
A proud former resident of Putney, Norrie lived in East Putney for several years before relocating to Monaco. He was frequently seen cycling to the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton for training, an early sign of the dedication that’s shaped his rise to the elite of British tennis.
While the scoreboard may not have gone his way on Monday, his campaign will be remembered as a breakthrough moment in his resurgence — and a reminder that he’s far from done.
Draper also gone
Elsewhere, there was disappointment for British No. 1 Jack Draper, who fell in four sets to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. Draper, from Sutton, had reached the fourth round of a major for the first time, but Bublik’s firepower proved decisive in a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win.
With both Norrie and Draper bowing out, British hopes in the men’s singles draw at Roland Garros are over for 2025. But for supporters of Norrie — and for those in Putney who’ve followed his story closely — this run was a reason to believe again.
