Cameron Norrie hits the court with Grand Slam champion before Monte Carlo Masters

Following a strong showing at the Miami Open, Cameron Norrie has made the move from hard courts to clay.

Norrie’s run to the Miami Open quarter-finals included an upset win over Alex de Minaur, which helped him reclaim Britain’s top ranking from Jack Draper.

He’s now in Monte Carlo, gearing up for the first major clay event of the season.

In preparation for Monte Carlo, Norrie has linked up with a former Grand Slam champion who’s also started this year on good form.

Cameron Norrie is joined by Kei Nishikori ahead of Monte Carlo

Nishikori, currently ranked 286th in the world after recovering from a long-term injury, was looking sharp in practice. The Japanese star even managed to win two titles early in his comeback at Challenger events earlier this year.

This is not the first time these two have worked together; they also trained together during last year’s Indian Wells tournament. Even though Nishikori is now outside the top rankings due to injuries, he was once a staple in the ATP top 10 and reached a career-high ranking of number four in 2015. That same year, he became the first Japanese man ever to make it into the top five.

Cameron Norrie’s plans heading into the French Open

Norrie shared a photo on his Instagram story, showing him hitting with Daniil Medvedev in Monte Carlo.

Medvedev, ranked 10th in the world, has been in good form this year. He picked up titles in Brisbane and Dubai and beat Carlos Alcaraz on his way to the Indian Wells final.

The Russian’s best showing in Monte Carlo came back in 2019 when he took out Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic before falling short of the final. He’s made three more appearances since then, reaching one quarter-final and two third rounds.

Norrie, on the other hand, hasn’t made it past the third round at Monte Carlo across five appearances. His most recent win at the event came during his debut run back in 2019.

How Long Will Cameron Norrie Stay at the Top of British Tennis?

With Jack Draper pulling out of the Monte Carlo Masters, Norrie looks set to hold onto the British number one ranking a bit longer.

Norrie currently has 1,753 points, just 43 more than Draper. But he isn’t defending any points in Monte Carlo this year, which gives him a good chance to build a bigger lead.

Draper, on the other hand, is due to lose 100 points for reaching the round of 16 in Monte Carlo last year.

Once Monte Carlo wraps up, both players are expected to head to Spain for the Barcelona Open. Carlos Alcaraz won that event last time out.

Read more: