Tables Turn as Frances Tiafoe Calls Out Cam Norrie’s Behaviour That Jeopardized His Wimbledon Dreams

“It was a very nice win and a high-level match from both of us,” British star Cameron Norrie said after besting Frances Tiafoe on Wednesday. In an unexpected turn of events, the World No.61 ousted the No.12 seed American pro (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5) in the second round at the Wimbledon Championships. It was Norrie’s first Top 15 win of the season and a timely result following his early exits at Queen’s and Eastbourne. While the local hero had nothing but good words for Tiafoe, the latter didn’t like his opponent’s antics on the court. After the match result was out, Tiafoe was heavily criticized for trying to delay the game. But it seems like the World No.12 is not going to hold back either. The American thinks Norrie couldn’t have won against him.

For the uninitiated, the entire controversy began during the third set of the second round match between Norrie and Tiafoe. Toward the latter half of the set, the American tried to delay the points in order to break the Brit’s momentum. He had just won the second set after Tiafoe snatched the first. Obviously, Tiafoe didn’t want Norrie to take another straight set. He was seen grabbing his towel, t-shirt, and shorts from his bag while requesting a break. According to the BBC broadcast, the break extended to over seven minutes—longer than the five-minute allowance—while the umpire made no intervention.  But while that went unnoticed by the umpires, fans lashed out at him on social media. Several accused Tiafoe of disrupting the flow deliberately, especially as Norrie was starting to return serve more aggressively. Even former Australian pro and commentator John Lloyd criticized him, saying, “This is ridiculous, I’m sorry, but it’s absolutely ridiculous,” as reported by The Mirror on July 2.

But now Tiafoe has come forward, not to apologize or explain the mid-match delay, but to redirect the spotlight entirely. In a press conference dated July 2, the American questioned not just how the match unfolded but also the environment he faced on court, taking jabs at Norrie.

According to Tiafoe, the Brit was “annoying” and wouldn’t have won without the support of his home fans. He began the press conference by saying, “No, (the crowd) didn’t bother me. I mean, he (Norrie) was super amped. He was saying, ‘C’mon’, from the first game, which is definitely annoying, but that part bothered me more than the crowd,” He added, “I think the biggest thing is that he kept going and playing much better because of the crowd. I don’t think he probably plays as well if the crowd wasn’t so far behind him.”

There’s more to Tiafoe’s unfiltered take on Norrie. “I mean, they (crowd) really pushed him, and he started believing it.” While he did give the Brit some credit for his serves, Tiafoe mentioned that it wasn’t his typical style. The 27-year-old continued, “I don’t think he served that well in a really long time. He served 75, some stupid percent. I hardly got looks in the second set. I was shocked how well he served today. Never really seen him serve like that.” Stats from the ATP confirmed that Norrie landed 76% of his first serves and won 80% of those points—his most efficient performance of the season on grass.

With Tiafoe’s exit, there have been 23 upsets across the event so far this week, as reported by The Mirror on July 2. Simply put, 23 out of 64 seeded players (men and women) are already out of the Wimbledon this season. This includes names like Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, and Beatriz Haddad Maia—all of whom lost within the first three rounds, making it one of the most unpredictable opening weeks in recent memory.

Coming back to Tiafoe, he did make an honest confession about his failure on grass, especially coming after a successful run on clay last month in Paris.

Top Comment by Julie

Anytime you play on an opponent’s home court, you’re going to have to deal with that. Let it make you...more

Share your take

Debate

Frances Tiafoe reflects on his heartbreaking Wimbledon exit

Frances Tiafoe‘s history at the Wimbledon hasn’t been really inspiring. Since he made his event debut in 2017, the American has struggled to make deep runs at the grass major. It becomes evident from his lack of consistency. His best run includes reaching the fourth round in 2022. In last year’s edition, he couldn’t clear the third round after his loss to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

On the other hand, at the French Open last month, he was able to adapt well and reach the quarterfinal stage. Although clay is not his preferred surface, he still performed, earning his best campaign at the Roland Garros yet. But is there an underlying issue with the grass at the All England Club? In the same press conference, he revealed, “I mean, grass is a tricky surface. The game is getting much deeper. You have to think, not so long ago Cam (Norrie) made the semifinals here, and now I’m playing him the second round,”

He concluded, saying, “You have floaters like that, and then you have some young guys playing well. The game is just really tough. It’s not like how it used to be where you can kind of, I mean, quote, unquote, get to your seedings easier.”

What are your thoughts on Frances Tiafoe’s reaction to his loss against the Brit? Let us know in the comments below and stay updated with every play and point from the Championships via our Live Blog.