Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie says he was inspired by Emma Raducanu's "crazy" US Open triumph
British tennis fans have had a lot to cheer about in the past couple of months. Emma Raducanu lifted the 2021 US Open trophy, ending Britain's long wait for a women's singles Grand Slam champion.
Cameron Norrie has now delivered another big win for British tennis, winning his first Masters 1000 title at the recently-concluded BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The win resulted in Norrie jumping 10 places to No. 16 in the world.
Days after his big triumph, the 26-year-old credited Raducanu for getting the ball rolling in the first place. Norrie described Raducanu's run at Flushing Meadows as "impressive," adding that he felt inspired by it.
The Brit said he couldn't decide what was more "believable" -- Raducanu winning the US Open or his own victory at Indian Wells.
"What she has done has been extremely impressive and she inspired me a little bit, that was crazy," Norrie said of Emma Raducanu's improbable run at the US Open.
"I don’t know what’s more believable, her winning the US Open or me winning this — 50-50 maybe," the Brit added.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Britain's governing body for tennis, also took to Twitter to celebrate the achievements of its two top-ranked athletes.
The LTA posted pictures of both Raducanu and Norrie holding their respective trophies, captioning the post: "Proud".
Proud.
#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 https://t.co/loG512zSKy
"It doesn’t get much better than this" - Greg Rusedski on Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu's rise
Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski also hailed the "incredible" rise of both Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu over the course of the 2021 season.
The 48-year-old said Norrie's performance, combined with Raducanu's US Open heroics, has ensured that British tennis will continue to be on the rise for the foreseeable future.
"It’s incredible to think what just happened," Rusedski was quoted as saying by Tennis 365. "We were all wondering what would happen when Andy Murray finished, but we could have a top 10 player by the end of the season and then you have [Emma] Raducanu winning the US Open. It does not get much better than this."