![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/norrie-madrid-2026-sunday.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Player Features
\n Norrie, on brink of Top-20 return, prepping to \u2018weather the Sinner storm\u2019<\/p>\n
Briton will face World No. 1 Sinner for first time on Tuesday in Madrid<\/p>\n
April 27, 2026<\/p>\n
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Mutua Madrid Open<\/p>\n
Cameron Norrie in action on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
\n By Andy West<\/p>\n
Cameron Norrie<\/a> is riding high at the Mutua Madrid Open<\/a>. Will the Briton\u2019s momentum be strong enough to help him spring an upset on Tuesday when he takes on Jannik Sinner<\/a> at the ATP Masters 1000 event? <\/p>\n Into the last 16 in the Spanish capital for the second time in his career, Norrie will step on court for his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Sinner knowing he is well placed to return to the world\u2019s Top 20 for the first time since February 2024: The lefty is currently up five spots to No. 18 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. <\/p>\n At 30 years old, Norrie counts as a relative veteran in an era in which a number of younger players, not least Sinner and his great rival Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, are making a big impact at the top of the sport. The Briton, who turned pro in 2017 after playing college tennis at Texas Christian University, says he can sense that new energy on the court. <\/p>\n \u201cI think the level is definitely improving,\u201d Norrie told ATP Media earlier this month at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell<\/a>. \u201cAll the players are improving. I feel the ball speed is going up. There are a lot of next-generation players who [hit] the ball as hard as they can, off both sides, and take the racquet out of your hand. So you have to be ready for that. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to improve. You have to weather the storm a bit for the first couple of balls, but it\u2019s all good stuff. I feel that I\u2019m improving as a player, and everyone else is improving. There isn\u2019t really any \u2018staying the same\u2019. So I\u2019m really happy to look for ways to improve, and I\u2019m just trying to use my experience to my advantage.\u201d <\/p>\n After claiming a Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open<\/a> in Indian Wells in 2021, Norrie climbed to a career-high World No. 8 in September 2022. He remained at least a Top-20 player until early 2024, before a loss of form resulted in him dropping as low as No. 91 last April. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a nice perspective to have,\u201d Norrie said, when asked if his slide down the rankings had given him extra resolve to work his way back up. \u201cThis time last year I was struggling a lot to enjoy my tennis. [Now it\u2019s great that I am] healthy, playing and feeling the ball so well. You could easily be saying, \u2018I could do better here on this\u2019, but if you look at it with perspective it\u2019s an amazing rise to where I am now. I\u2019m feeling good, so it\u2019s perfect.\u201d <\/p>\n Up next: Sinner in Round 4 \ud83d\udd1c@cam_norrie<\/a> impresses in Madrid, coming through against Tirante 7-5, 7-6(5). @MutuaMadridOpen<\/a> | #MMOPEN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/R4XjVa1Pjt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) April 26, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Norrie\u2019s first tour-level outing against Sinner, who is bidding to make history in Madrid by becoming the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles, comes on what was initially (and arguably still is) the Briton\u2019s least-favoured surface. Yet Norrie is a two-time ATP Tour champion on clay, including at ATP 500 level after he defeated Alcaraz to win the 2023 Rio Open presented by Claro<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I never played on clay [when I was young],\u201d said Norrie, who is a five-time tour-level titlist overall. \u201cThe first time I hit a ball on clay was when I was 16, so the movement for me is not as natural as some other players. But I don\u2019t know what it is about [doing well on it] this year and last year, I must just be a bit more of an experienced player now.\u201d <\/p>\n You May Also Like: Clay-court Converts: Seeking success on the ‘red dirt’<\/a><\/p>\n So which diligently improved aspects of Norrie\u2019s clay game should fans look out for as he bids to snap Sinner\u2019s 19-match winning streak and earn his second victory against a reigning World No. 1 after he upset Alcaraz at last November\u2019s Rolex Paris Masters<\/a>? <\/p>\n \u201cI would say definitely the movement, looking to use the forehand a bit more, and drop shots,\u201d the Briton said. \u201cJust picking the right volleys, and I think just sitting back on some returns to find a bit more depth, and knowing how to defend. All those things. I think if you\u2019re doing it more instinctively, rather than having to think about it last second, [it is better]. <\/p>\n \u201cSolving the drop shots [is key] and figuring those out. I think I wasn\u2019t very good at this, and I\u2019m improving. With Alcaraz playing so many, you have to be ready for it, and you have to be able to use it. So many players are defending so well, so it\u2019s definitely a shot that I\u2019m going to try and use a little bit more to surprise the guys. It just adds a bit more doubt into the opponent when you are attacking them, and they have to adjust their court position accordingly.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"\u201cATP](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/atp-fantasy-article-banner.jpg\")
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