Recently the World No.14 made history in becoming the first British player to win the singles title in Indian Wells and in doing so, he became the 18th man to top the domestic rankings since 1973.

Cool and calm in the biggest moments, Norrie’s game has come a long way in the last 12 months, which has seen him join the world’s very best at the top of the game.

But what is it about his style and the way he played in California that helped carry him to the title?

We caught up with LTA National Coach, James Trotman to discuss Norrie’s development and take a deep dive into the biggest win of his career, with support from LTA Performance Intelligence and Analysis Lead, Chris White.

Consistent returns

The key area that stands out when you look at Norrie’s stats from Indian Wells is his return of serve.

The British No.1 showed excellent consistency returning his opponents first serve, making 83% of his shots in play compared to an average of 69% on the year.

“One factor that played into Cam’s hands in Indian Wells was the pace of the court,” says Trotman.

“The court was very rough and the balls were getting really fluffed up – so after a couple of games they were playing really slow, giving him a lot more time on the ball.

“Cam’s really dedicated in his return patterns. His decision making on what direction he returns the serve, where he positions himself on the return – whether he’s staying up on a second serve return or staying a bit deeper against the first serve – has been an important area of development."

It’s having a huge effect on the outcome of those points as well – Norrie won 45% of points against the first serve, 15% higher than his average for the season.

To put that in perspective, World No.1 Novak Djokovic, one of the best returners in the sport, averages 34.9% over the last 12 months.

“His return has been strong all year – he’s been one of the top players in second serve points won this year, which is a massive step up for him and it’s a huge area of improvement for him.

“One of the biggest things Cam noted was his experience in the Laver Cup – he didn’t play but being involved there he got to watch a lot of Daniil Medvedev up close.

“Medvedev is renowned for sitting deep, especially on the first serve, and returning deep through the middle. He said being on the side of the court and watching that first hand helped shape his approach to the return going into Indian Wells and with the courts being slower it gave him more time to execute.”

Creating the opportunities

Only four players have a higher break point conversion percentage than Norrie in the last year, including Rafael Nadal, Diego Schwartzman, Djokovic and Medvedev – fairly strong company!

This story only continued in Indian Wells – Norrie won 34 of his 83 break points (41%). Although it was lower than his average of 44%, the biggest takeaway was just the sheer number of opportunities he created against his opponents serve.

“Again, understanding his patterns of return has been really important for Cam,” says Trotman.

“When he played Andrey Rublev at San Diego in the build up to Indian Wells he started to step up more on second serve returns on both sides to try and rush Rublev and force him off balance and make mistakes. It’s about understanding what the situation requires.”

Very few players have competed in more matches than Norrie this year and in tennis, experience and reps go a long way in influencing a player’s performance as Trotman explains.

“Sometimes it’s about feeling the flow of the match. Can you sense whether your opponent is a little bit tighter and if you need to make him work harder? If so, then it’s about having the presence of mind to adjust your tactics to drag them into longer rallies. It’s this sort of situational analysis where Cam really excels.

“At the moment he has an excellent understanding what he needs to do at pivotal moments in the match – whether he wants to be disciplined and take the point long (which often works in his favour), or whether to be more aggressive and play the point on his terms.”

Limiting the errors

A big part of what makes Norrie such a difficult opponent to play against is his level of consistency – the man just doesn’t miss!

In California last week, the 26-year-old made 166 unforced errors, compared to 245 from his opponents.

More matches are lost on error count than total winners and Norrie’s fitness, movement and recovery make him one of the best in the game at limiting his mistakes.

“We need to look at his physicality – his stamina and his strength,” says Trotman. “He can go toe-to-toe with any opponent now for five hours and it isn’t going to worry him, but it will worry his opponent.

“Another thing that makes Cam so unique is that his shots off both sides are completely different.

“On the forehand he’s very heavy and spinny so he creates a lot of revolutions on the ball. This means he’s making guys play shots up around their shoulders a lot.

“Whereas on the backhand it’s the complete reverse. He hits the ball incredibly flat – he probably has one of the flattest backhands on the tour. His opponents are constantly having to adjust to the difference in the height of the ball so they can’t get into any sort of rhythm.

“His movement thereafter is where Cam really stands out to me. His recovery after hitting a shot is exceptional and his court positioning on opponents contact is definitely up there with the best.”