Cameron Norrie Wins ATP Title at Indian Wells
10/18/2021 4:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Former Three-Time All-American Captures Biggest Title of His Professional Career
FORT WORTH – TCU men's tennis alumnus Cameron Norrie made history over the weekend when he claimed his first career ATP Masters 1000 title, defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili in three-sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Indian Wells. Norrie earned not only the most prestigious trophy of his career thus far, but also the attention of the entire tennis world with his performance. He becomes the first British player to win at Indian Wells, commonly referred to as tennis' "fifth major", becoming the top-ranked men's player in Britain and No. 16 in the world.
"What an incredible week I've had here," Norrie said "I still don't really know what I'm experiencing. It was an amazing couple weeks and I'm so happy with how I treated all the occasions, all the big moments, all the matches. Yeah, I'm so happy, so pleased to win my biggest title."
Norrie came to TCU in 2014 as one of the Top 10 junior players in the world. While at TCU, he quickly established himself as a hard worker with tremendous upside. He became the first player in program history to finish the season ranked No. 1 in the Oracle/ITA singles poll after his junior year (2017) and still holds the TCU season singles winning percentage record (.955) after going 21-1 all at the No. 1 position in 2017.
Norrie has been competing professionally since the summer of 2017, but it was this year that his hard work has yielded the results that vaulted him into rarified air.
"Cameron has built himself into a machine," TCU Assistant Coach Devin Bowen said. "He has a phenomenal team around him in Facu, Julian and Vasek. Cameron has always been coachable. This year he's been willing to suffer a bit more in critical situations and the results are career changing."
Norrie began the 2021 season ranked No. 74 in the world. He had reached one ATP final in Auckland (ATP 250) and held a career-best ranking of No. 52.
In 2021, he has won 47 matches, the sixth most on tour, reached five finals and won two tournaments (Indian Wells (ATP Matsers 1000) and Los Cabos (ATP 250). He has jumped to No. 16 in the world and currently stands in the 10th and final position in the ATP's Race to Turin, the men's tennis championship tournament featuring the 10 highest point scorers of the season. He reached the third round of four straight Grand Slams, including a third-round match with Roger Federer at Wimbledon in July, 2021.
Norrie is coached by his former Horned Frog teammate and TCU Tennis alumnus, Facundo Lugones. Lugones played in Fort Worth from 2011-2015, playing his final two seasons with Norrie, before joining him on tour as a coach in the summer of 2017. Together, they have built Norrie into one of the top 10 players in the world and the winner of one of the biggest tournaments on the tennis schedule.
"I always thought he was unbelievably good," Lugones said. "It's just a matter of when things are going to click and if he can, like, stick to the things that are working and stick to the process, just not giving up, not being let down by tough moments like we had in the past, some terrible losses, a lot of finals, a lot of really bad losses. It didn't matter for him. He always had a bigger vision. He always woke up the next day and brought 120% regardless what happened the day before. When you have someone with that ability, I think there's no limits. If you're brave enough to go and do it... I think this year he's been really, really brave."
Lugones and Norrie have grown a lot together since their days in Fort Worth. The pair emerged from TCU with a chip on their shoulder. The Horned Frogs were national title contenders in their time at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, reaching the Final Four together in 2015. Choosing to stay together for Norrie's professional career could have been considered a gamble, but the bond they formed as college teammates has proven strong enough to enable a professional partnership capable of historic results.
"It's an unbelievable experience for me," Lugones said. "I'm learning so much. Learning a lot with Cam. I try to give my best because I know I need to get better a lot of things. I don't have the experience other coaches have or other former players have. So, I need to work extra harder than everyone to make sure I can deliver what Cam wants and what he needs. I always have that chip on my shoulder to do a little bit extra than everyone. Yeah, that's kind of my mentality, where I'm trying to go."
Norrie and Lugones still train at the Bayard H. Friedman tennis center during breaks on tour. Head coach David Roditi and assistant coach Bowen have made a concerted effort to allow all former Horned Frogs court time on the varsity courts whenever they are in town, a group that contains No. 333 Nick Chappell, No. 336 Alex Rybakov, No. 570 Alastair Gray, No. 583 Jerry Lopez, No.1101 Reese Stalder and now, Indian Wells Champion Cameron Norrie.
For more information on TCU men's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUMensTennis on twitter, Facebook and the all new men's tennis Instagram.
"What an incredible week I've had here," Norrie said "I still don't really know what I'm experiencing. It was an amazing couple weeks and I'm so happy with how I treated all the occasions, all the big moments, all the matches. Yeah, I'm so happy, so pleased to win my biggest title."
Norrie came to TCU in 2014 as one of the Top 10 junior players in the world. While at TCU, he quickly established himself as a hard worker with tremendous upside. He became the first player in program history to finish the season ranked No. 1 in the Oracle/ITA singles poll after his junior year (2017) and still holds the TCU season singles winning percentage record (.955) after going 21-1 all at the No. 1 position in 2017.
Norrie has been competing professionally since the summer of 2017, but it was this year that his hard work has yielded the results that vaulted him into rarified air.
"Cameron has built himself into a machine," TCU Assistant Coach Devin Bowen said. "He has a phenomenal team around him in Facu, Julian and Vasek. Cameron has always been coachable. This year he's been willing to suffer a bit more in critical situations and the results are career changing."
Norrie began the 2021 season ranked No. 74 in the world. He had reached one ATP final in Auckland (ATP 250) and held a career-best ranking of No. 52.
In 2021, he has won 47 matches, the sixth most on tour, reached five finals and won two tournaments (Indian Wells (ATP Matsers 1000) and Los Cabos (ATP 250). He has jumped to No. 16 in the world and currently stands in the 10th and final position in the ATP's Race to Turin, the men's tennis championship tournament featuring the 10 highest point scorers of the season. He reached the third round of four straight Grand Slams, including a third-round match with Roger Federer at Wimbledon in July, 2021.
"I think my progression with tennis has been pretty steady," Norrie said "I think I've just been working hard and progressing nicely, making small improvements in my game and in my ranking. I think honestly doing it this way, getting slowly, slowly better every year, improving little things, I don't think I've missed anything, made any big jumps. I've been working extremely hard. I've got a lot of great people around me that's wanting the best for me. We're taking care of all the little details on the court, off the court, and we all have the same goal in mind. When that all comes together, it definitely helps. Everyone's got the same passion for tennis and the same will to win and will to do well. When everyone comes together, weeks like this can happen."
Norrie is coached by his former Horned Frog teammate and TCU Tennis alumnus, Facundo Lugones. Lugones played in Fort Worth from 2011-2015, playing his final two seasons with Norrie, before joining him on tour as a coach in the summer of 2017. Together, they have built Norrie into one of the top 10 players in the world and the winner of one of the biggest tournaments on the tennis schedule.
"I always thought he was unbelievably good," Lugones said. "It's just a matter of when things are going to click and if he can, like, stick to the things that are working and stick to the process, just not giving up, not being let down by tough moments like we had in the past, some terrible losses, a lot of finals, a lot of really bad losses. It didn't matter for him. He always had a bigger vision. He always woke up the next day and brought 120% regardless what happened the day before. When you have someone with that ability, I think there's no limits. If you're brave enough to go and do it... I think this year he's been really, really brave."
Lugones and Norrie have grown a lot together since their days in Fort Worth. The pair emerged from TCU with a chip on their shoulder. The Horned Frogs were national title contenders in their time at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, reaching the Final Four together in 2015. Choosing to stay together for Norrie's professional career could have been considered a gamble, but the bond they formed as college teammates has proven strong enough to enable a professional partnership capable of historic results.
"It's an unbelievable experience for me," Lugones said. "I'm learning so much. Learning a lot with Cam. I try to give my best because I know I need to get better a lot of things. I don't have the experience other coaches have or other former players have. So, I need to work extra harder than everyone to make sure I can deliver what Cam wants and what he needs. I always have that chip on my shoulder to do a little bit extra than everyone. Yeah, that's kind of my mentality, where I'm trying to go."
Norrie and Lugones still train at the Bayard H. Friedman tennis center during breaks on tour. Head coach David Roditi and assistant coach Bowen have made a concerted effort to allow all former Horned Frogs court time on the varsity courts whenever they are in town, a group that contains No. 333 Nick Chappell, No. 336 Alex Rybakov, No. 570 Alastair Gray, No. 583 Jerry Lopez, No.1101 Reese Stalder and now, Indian Wells Champion Cameron Norrie.
For more information on TCU men's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUMensTennis on twitter, Facebook and the all new men's tennis Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
The Roditi Rule
Friday, March 07
#TCU National Champions Day in DC #gofrogs
Wednesday, July 24
Jake Fearnley Talking about his time with TCU Men's Tennis
Tuesday, June 25
TCU Wins NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship
Saturday, May 25
