Who is Cameron Norrie as he becomes 'last one standing' for Britain in the singles at Wimbledon 2022?

Who is Cameron Norrie is the question likely on many people’s minds since the British star played his way to reach the Quarter Final at Wimbledon 2022. 

From the Wimbledon Royal Box to learning more about strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, the London-based championships attract the attention of fans across the world. Most will now know how to watch Wimbledon 2022 where they are whilst those with tickets wonder what to wear to Wimbledon, but for the players winning their next match is likely their primary focus at the moment. This is definitely the case for Cameron Norrie, who secured a straight sets victory over Tommy Paul of the United States to reach the Quarter Final. 

Unfortunately, the departure of Heather Watson from the tournament after losing her match against Jule Niemeier of Germany means that Cameron is now the only Brit left in the Singles competitions. And it’s something he’s referenced himself as he urged the London crowds to “get behind [him]” going forwards. 

Cameron explained, “Unfortunately, I’m the last one standing but I think it’s even more reason for everyone to get behind me.”

“At the beginning of the tournament, you guys were saying to me, ‘you’re British No1, you’ve got a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations on your shoulders,” he continued. “For me to play the way that I did in all my matches so far means a lot.

Now as he prepares to take on Belgium’s David Goffin in the next round, many fans might well be looking for some more detail about who Cameron Norrie is, where he was born and whether he was seeded at Wimbledon this year…

Who is Cameron Norrie?  

Who is Cameron Norrie might not be a question asked by his loyal fans, but for those who’ve only just been introduced to his remarkable talent during Wimbledon 2022 there’s plenty to discover about him. Cameron Norrie is a British professional tennis player who first turned pro back in 2017 and promptly went on to win his debut Davis Cup match eight months later. 

This helped to place him firmly on tennis fans’ radars and was reportedly described by former Davis Cup Captain John Lloyd as “one of the most impressive debuts of all time” given he beat the then-World Number 23, Roberto Bautista Agut. Prior to embarking on a professional tennis career, he attended Texas Christian University and ended up as the No.1 college player in the United States. 

Despite now facing his first Quarter Final at Wimbledon, Cameron actually prefers playing on hard courts, according to the Lawn Tennis Association, with his favorite shot being his backhand. Cameron's love of tennis first blossomed on the driveaway of his childhood home in New Zealand. As reported by the LTA, he began playing there at the age of just 6 after his mother Helen introduced him to tennis and he’s now British Number One in the Men’s Singles rankings. 

Cameron is understood to live in London and eagle-eyed fans might well have spotted his girlfriend Louise Jacobi cheering him on over the years. It’s not known exactly where the two met or how long they've been together as the couple are known to prefer keeping a level of privacy surrounding their relationship.

Though Louise has now gone Instagram official with Cameron and sometimes shares sweet snaps of the two of them. According to her Instagram bio, Louise is the co-founder of Luxury Fashion and Home Accessories service Studio Virgo.

Discussing his partner briefly during a recent interview with The Times, Cameron revealed that cooking together can cause “arguments” because they have a slightly different approach. And his couldn't be more different from his focused tennis playing style as he shared he likes to go off-recipe. 

“We get into arguments when we cook,” he admitted. “Because Louise always wants to follow recipes to the letter while I prefer to wing it and experiment a bit.”

Where was Cameron Norrie born and why does he play for Britain? 

Cameron Norrie was born in Johannesburg, South Africa to proud parents and microbiologists David and Helen Norrie, who are Scottish and Welsh respectively. As revealed by Tatler, the family remained in Johannesburg until 1998 when Cameron was three and it was then that they relocated to New Zealand. 

Growing up in Auckland, the future tennis star represented the country at Junior Level until he was 16. Cameron then moved to London and switched allegiances to represent Great Britain internationally, with some reports suggesting that increased funding and tennis support in the country was a factor.

Opening up about his sense of cultural identity in the past, the star has previously confirmed he very much identifies as British. 

“'I consider myself British,” he declared simply. “Both my parents are British. My mum is Welsh and my dad is Scottish.”

Both of his parents made the long trip over from New Zealand to watch their son compete at Wimbledon 2022, with The Times reporting that Cameron’s father David discussed his pride at Cameron’s career development and independence.  

“He has grown up a lot and is more mature and has had to make his own decisions because we were not around to help him,” David said. “He has made a lot of his own decisions, and it doesn’t seem to have done him much harm.”

David went on to reflect on the early days, adding, “I played tennis and squash and my wife played squash. Cameron used a swan-off squash racket in the driveway hitting balls and he had good coordination. One thing led to another and we started walking down to the local tennis club.”

Sadly, as revealed by Cameron’s father, the training regime undertaken by the British Number One means family time isn’t always easy to fit in, making the experience of watching him play likely even more precious. 

“When he’s playing the grand slams, we don’t see a lot of him, not physically, because he’s in a training regime,” his father explained. “So it’s a sort of paradoxical thing: you come to see him but you actually only see him on the court. You don’t see a lot of them off the court.”

However, after the lifting of New Zealand’s travel restrictions, David and Helen Norrie are said to have had a “very emotional” reunion with their talented son before he played in the French Open a few months ago. 

How old is Cameron Norrie?  

The last British player standing in the Wimbledon 2022 Singles competitions is just 26 years old and was born on August 23rd, 1995. This means that Cameron will turn 27 just six days before the US Open kicks off on August 29th. Last year he was knocked out in the first round against Carlos Alcaraz but after his impressive run at Wimbledon so far in 2022, Cameron and his coaching team will likely be hoping he progresses even further if he plays in New York again next month.  

Is Cameron Norrie seeded at Wimbledon?  

Given how successful Cameron Norrie has been throughout his career and his position as current British Number One, many might well be wondering if the star player has been seeded at Wimbledon 2022. And perhaps not surprisingly in light of these impressive credentials, Cameron is seeded ninth in this year’s championships. 

He is now the highest ranked player in his quarter of the Wimbledon draw. And his seeding is something that Cameron himself has previously got candid about as he expressed excitement about what it means for him as a player.

As reported by the Evening Standard, Cameron discussed his Wimbledon seeding after securing victory at the Rothesay International Eastbourne tournament. 

"It’s great. Being seeded helps," he explained at the time. “I will take it one match at a time and for me I have still not reached the second week so it would be nice to do that. I guess the seeding helps and that is a result of winning matches and stringing them together, so I will take that.”

Cameron continued, "Being ninth is pretty cool and pretty crazy. It all happened pretty quickly, getting up there, which has been a lot of fun but it still means nothing. You still have to win the matches."

Now, all these weeks later, Cameron has already surpassed his previous performances and reached the second week of Wimbledon. He will next face David Goffin of Belgium in the Quarter Final of Wimbledon on July 5th as he continues his Wimbledon 2022 journey.