London, July 6 (BUS): It took Cameron Norrie more than three sets to “restrict” the task of taming David Goffin in Tuesday’s Wimbledon quarter-final, but the Briton knows he can’t afford to let it go too late. The next match is where he will face an opponent whose Belgian victim described him as a “foreign”.
Over the past two decades, British fans have been accustomed to riding the five-set roller coaster on tennis’s most famous stage by four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman and then two-time champion Andy Murray, Reuters reports.
South African-born Nouri joined that select group on Tuesday when he battled to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final with a 3-6 7-5 2-6 6-3 7-5 victory over Goffin.
“It’s crazy to be sitting here and in the semi-finals. Joe is crazy too. I definitely had fun. The crowd definitely got through it. So lucky to get through that,” Nouri admitted after becoming only the fourth British man in the open era to reach the last four in the Main turf field.
“At the end of the fourth inning, the beginning of the fifth, I was just locked in… It was a crazy day and a crazy match to get through.”
For 3-1/2 hours, so-called Henman Hill was buzzing with thousands of fans who cheered every point the ninth seed won as they followed the action on the big screen outside Court One.
While the Briton’s first admitted that the hill is unlikely to be renamed Nuri Knoll because it “doesn’t roll like Hinman Hill,” he knows he’ll have to rely on party support as he tries to prevent six-times champion Novak Djokovic from reaching the 32nd Grand Slam final.
“Obviously one of the most difficult tasks in tennis,” said Nouri. “I think grass is his preferred surface and his record is incredible here at Wimbledon. It’s going to be tough.”
“I’m going to have to improve a lot of things from today. Sometimes I lose a little focus and manage to get it back. With Novak, there’s no place for that.”
Prior to this week, Nouri wasn’t exactly a household name in Britain as the left-hander had never before passed the third round of a major competition.
But while he stands one win away from becoming the first British player to reach a Wimbledon final since Murray won his second title in 2016, Nouri admitted he has surpassed his childhood dreams.
“When I was a kid watching the guys on TV reach the quarter-finals, (I was) thinking ‘Wow, that looks so hard, there’s almost no chance of doing that,'” said the 26-year-old, who was beaten in his only previous encounter. With the Serbian 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“But just actually doing it and living it and experiencing it is pretty cool and pretty crazy, actually. And now I’ve gone even further in the semi-finals, so I think he can take a lot of confidence from that.
“It’s obviously going to be tough against Novak but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think I’ll take it against him.”
How exactly did Goffin assess Nouri’s chances of beating Djokovic?
“If he’s been playing tennis in his life, maybe Novak is not feeling well,” the Belgian said.
“Novak is Novak. He plays better when the fans are against him. Novak is just a foreigner.”