A visibly frustrated Norrie threw his racquet toward the baseline only to hit a fan sitting in the front row. Video / Skysport
Across his career Cameron Norrie has enjoyed some great times at the ASB Classic. He made the 2019 final as an underdog ranked world No 93, and went all the way to the decider again in 2023.
But Tuesday was undoubtedly his worst experience here, as he was stunned 6-2 6-3 by unheralded Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta, who was only in the main draw as a “lucky loser” from qualifying, after several withdrawals.
Not only was world No 48 Norrie way below his normal standards – describing his performance as a “shocker” – he also lost his cool on several occasions, which culminated in a thrown racquet inadvertently hitting a fan in a courtside box.
That resulted in the umpire issuing a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, with Norrie profusely apologetic after the match.
”I was not meaning to do that and it is completely not me, to do something like that,” said a contrite Norrie. “I apologised very quickly and I want to apologise in general, I’m not happy with how I behaved.”
Cameron Norrie of Great Britain plays a shot against Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina in round 1 of the ASB Classic in Auckland yesterday. Photo / Andrew Cornaga / Photosport
The incident summed up a bizarre afternoon, with Norrie – who admitted he couldn’t get any rhythm or feel – completely out of sorts. It happened at 5-3, 30-30, in the second set, as he mishit to bring up match point.
The Auckland-raised Norrie then turned and hurled his racquet in frustration, which glanced off a female fan sitting behind the baseline. Norrie immediately walked over to apologise, before the umpire went to check if the patron was okay.
”I just said sorry,” said Norrie. “I said ‘so sorry – I didn’t mean to do that’. And she said ‘yeah I’m completely okay' and she was enjoying her champagne [so] not a big deal but as you saw with some other players you can easily be defaulted if it catches them in the wrong spot or they are not looking or something.”
Norrie said he wasn’t concerned about potentially being defaulted, even though there is provision in the ATP rules if a racquet or ball hits a spectator, dependent on the circumstances.
”No, it barely touched her and she was laughing,” said Norrie. “But it could have. I wasn’t meaning to do that but still not ideal to be doing that and I’ve never done something like that so definitely a wake up call.”
Overall, the 29-year-old was devastated by the lacklustre performance at his hometown event.
”It was a bit of a shocker from me,” said Norrie. “I didn’t feel the ball at all. I was missing a lot, feeling completely dead but credit to him he did nothing wrong. I was a bit disappointed with my attitude [too].”
Norrie didn’t have any answers and seemed genuinely surprised, after a quarter-final run in Hong Kong last week. After dropping the first set – where he was broken twice and won only eight points on the Diaz Acosta serve – Norrie improved in the second, with hints of a comeback from 0-3 down, though he couldn’t maintain it.
Norrie saved a match point in a superb rally, before his fate was sealed with the next. The former Wimbledon semifinalist now has to reset, ahead of the Australian Open.
”It would have been nice to stay here a bit longer but that’s how it is sometimes,” said Norrie.
If Norrie was distraught, French legend Gael Monfils was thrilled with his epic 1-6 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory over Spain’s Pedro Martinez. It was his first win in Auckland since 2013 and well received by the crowd, who were riding every moment across the 145-minute battle.
The match exhibited the first range of Monfil’s dazzling skills – and propensity to entertain – with some breathtaking shots. But it also showed his capacity to dig deep – physically and mentally – as the 38-year-old battled back from the brink. Monfils, who is the oldest player in the top 100, broke at 3-5 in the second set with Martinez serving for the match. He then took out a thrilling tiebreak, before converting his third match point.
Of the other first round matches, the standout was a 188-minute marathon on the outside courts – the second longest in tournament history – as Argentine Mariano Navone outlasted former finalist Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (6) 6-7 (5) 6-1.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
