The poison

Norrie is a real nightmare to play against, and he’s got good memories in Metz on top of that!

I remember his tournament here last year—nothing incredible, but very much in his image: huge fight and an ability to throw his opponents off their game. He handled facing Moutet, who was carried by the crowd too, so I’m not too worried on that front. What bothers me is his variable level: he loses to Berrettini in the wet, then goes and smacks Alcaraz before losing to Vacherot without being clutch—every match is different. You can still say he’s in form. Royer is even more complicated: we see him play good matches, but let’s not forget he’s been a LL three times in a row, which means he went out in qualies at the last three tournaments. He’s not losing to just anyone each time, and above all he bounces back well afterward when he’s brought back in. It’s a status that suits him: he arrives with no pressure and plays his attacking game the way it should be played. We’ll have to see how he handles his match tomorrow, but I don’t like the match-up. I’m afraid he’ll get lulled to sleep by Norrie and the rather slow conditions at this tournament; it’s not a good opponent for him. With his good attitude and a crowd that can push him, we can hope he puts in a good match, but I’ve clearly picked my side.