Cameron Norrie faced a straight-set defeat to Facundo Diaz at the ASB Classic in New Zealand, losing 6-2, 6-3. The 29-year-old British player expressed his frustration by throwing his racket, which unintentionally hit a spectator, though they were not harmed. Norrie apologized to the woman afterwards, stating she reacted with humor, which alleviated the situation. Post-match, he expressed disappointment with his performance, admitting difficulty with his timing and attitude during the match. Norrie has struggled with injuries and inconsistent results recently, having dropped out of the ATP Tour’s top 50 rankings in 2024.
- Cam Norrie suffered a straight-set loss to Facundo Diaz on Tuesday.
- But the British star appeared to throw his racket in the air in a fit of rage.
Cameron Norrie lost in straight sets at the ASB Classic in New Zealand on Tuesday, but appeared furious and flung his racket into the air before it hit a spectator.
That moment came before the British star lost 6-2, 6-3 to Facundo Diaz. The racket spun out of control and landed on a spectator sitting behind the baseline.
The 29-year-old, who is traveling to Australia for next week’s Grand Slam in Melbourne, was cautioned by the referee although no one in the crowd was injured in the incident.
After his defeat, Norrie told reporters that it served as a wake-up call, first apologizing and then explaining that the patron he had hit reacted unexpectedly to being hit with a racket. revealed.
“I just said sorry and she laughed,” the Brit explained of the situation.
“I said, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.'” And she said, “Yes, it’s totally fine.”
Cam Norrie appeared to throw his racket in anger after losing in straight sets to Facundo Diaz in Tuesday’s ASB Classic
Mr Norrie later apologized to the patron, but it is understood he laughed off the moment.
and she was enjoying champagne or something [so] It’s not a big deal, but as we’ve seen with other players, it can easily default if you get caught in the wrong spot or your opponent isn’t looking.
“I didn’t mean to do something like that and it’s completely not me to do something like that. I apologized immediately and I would like to apologize in general. I am not satisfied with the behavior of the people,” he added.
In a separate statement, Norrie revealed that his frustration stemmed from issues with his timing.
“I was missing the ball a lot…I’m disappointed with my attitude. I couldn’t find the ball at all,” he said.
Norrie said he spoke to the woman after the incident and apologized.
“I’m disappointed in my attitude. I couldn’t find the ball at all. I apologized to the lady and she was fine… It barely touched her and she was laughing. But that wasn’t my intention.”
After a disappointing year that saw him drop out of the ATP Tour’s top 50 rankings, Norie played in the ASB Classic in Auckland for the ninth time.
Norie continued to fight back to reach No. 48 in the rankings, but had to contend with poor results and a biceps injury that kept him out of action for nearly three months.
Despite today’s loss, the British player hasn’t been particularly good in recent months, losing in the ATP 250 final in Metz in November, but in Hong Kong in 2019. Lost in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250. Kai Nishikori’s December.
Norie endured a difficult 2024, dropping out of the ATP Tour’s top 50 rankings after missing three months with a biceps injury.
But on Tuesday, some fans slammed his actions on social media.
One fan wrote: “Sorry, but if Fraud Norrie is not from New Zealand in his home tournament, he loses 100%.”
“That must be a DQ.”
“I mean, it’s definitely a points penalty. Still, it’s not as bad as Joker punching a linesman in the throat…
“Literally she had to be hospitalized…that’s the key difference between a DQ vs. a penalty,” another fan wrote.
More to come…
