Novak Djokovic Must Guard Against Norrie Complacency
US Open
August 28, 2025
Novak Djokovic knows he has faced Cameron Norrie on six occasions – and defeated him every single time.
It might be tempting for the Serb to believe that his passage to the fourth round is all but guaranteed at Flushing Meadows.
Equally, Norrie may have developed a mental block against Djokovic. The deep-seated belief that he is simply not good enough to conquer the world’s greatest ever. That self-doubt could be Cam’s worst enemy.
But if the Brit can shake off that inferiority complex and bring his very best game to this formidable challenge, he has a chance.
And following Jack Draper’s withdrawal from the US Open through injury, that optimism is sorely needed among UK tennis fans.
Cameron might just be able to lift the gloom and see that Novak is there for the taking. At times Djokovic is starting to look like a fading force.
Novak Djokovic is unlikely to be a leading contender by the time Wimbledon 2026 comes around – if indeed he is there at all.
Yet Djokovic remains a natural-born winner. He will believe there’s an outside possibility of one more historic major in New York.
Novak will be highly motivated to hang in there. See off the likes of Norrie before taking on the really big boys. Then anything can happen. That will be his mindset.
But Djokovic dropped a set in his 6-7 (5-7) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Zachary Svajda. And his opponent wasn’t even in the world’s top hundred.
Novak admitted afterwards that he isn’t pleased with his level of tennis. He doesn’t enjoy not playing well.
True, Djokovic usually gets better as a tournament goes on. And he is still favourite to beat Norrie. Particularly after his straight sets triumph over the British underdog at the French Open this year.
But the longer Norrie can drag this US Open contest out – and winning the first set could be key – the greater his chance of an upset.
Cam loves a prolonged battle. He showed it again as he outlasted Francisco Comesana 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (7-4) on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic will therefore try to seize on any lack of self-belief in Norrie. He will try to get this match done quickly.
If Cam digs in and finds the answers in his head early enough though, it could be very interesting.
This is the magic of five-set tennis. The beauty of the unfolding drama at a Grand Slam. And no stage is greater than Wimbledon’s Centre Court.