Cameron Norrie's plan to dethrone Novak Djokovic

Beating world No3 Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon is up there with the toughest tasks in tennis. He has lost only 10 times at the All England Club, compared with 87 victories - the second most of all time.

He is also on a 27-match winning streak here, which stretches back to his retirement through injury in 2017. The last person to actually beat him at Wimbledon was Sam Querrey the previous year.

So does Cameron Norrie even stand a chance? Despite Djokovic's many talents, there are some reasons to feel optimistic about the British No1 making the Wimbledon final.

Nadal similarities

All evidence points to Djokovic dominating Friday's semi-final, and Norrie does not possess Querrey's serve-bot tendencies which overcame him six years ago.

But some would argue Norrie's game resembles Djokovic's greatest ever rival, Rafael Nadal, who has beaten him 29 times in 59 meetings.

Norrie is also a leftie, of course, and that brings complications for Djokovic. His top-spin forehand, though not as high-powered as Nadal's, is not dissimilar to the Spaniard's. There is also his never-say-die attitude.

He has a flat backhand like Nadal, but uses a more unusual stroke - a straight-armed bunt action - which can put opponents into awkward positions. "That's probably one of the keys, that it's so different than everyone else's backhand," Norrie's coach, Facundo Lugones, says. "It's also coming from the deuce side as a lefty - a lot of players can hit it like that, but most of them are righty.

"When you have that shot going to the forehand, you can rush them, keep the ball really low and hard, it's really uncomfortable for most players because they're not used to. It's pretty unique."

If he can channel all of these things, Nadal's record shows that way of playing can disrupt Djokovic's rhythm and ability to dominate.

Fitness

Norrie's personal lockdown bootcamp, when he ran 10km every day for the two months he spent in Auckland with his parents, helped him clock a personal best of under 37 minutes.

It has been cited as a huge factor in his breakthrough over the past two years. Against Goffin in the quarter-finals he proved that being fitness-crazed pays off, grinding his way out of points and outlasting the Belgian in the long rallies. "I was talking with my coach before the match and saying let's get to two hours in the match - and the match starts then," Norrie said after his comeback win.

Lugones believes Norrie could outrun anyone on the court because of his commitment to fitness training. "I don't even know how much other players do, but it would be hard to beat how many hours Cam does," he says, adding that Norrie can operate in the 'red zone' - working at 90 to 100 per cent of  one's estimated maximum heart rate - for six to seven minutes at a time.

"[He does] some really intense conditioning sessions on the court where he stays in that red zone where the heartbeat is just insane," his long-serving coach says. "He stays in that area for long periods of time. He's still able to execute and manages to play tennis at a decent level when he's in that state. That's why in the fifth set he looked actually more comfortable than at the beginning of the match."

Crowd support

On Tuesday, it was the crowd that got Norrie through when he was two sets to one down and close to a disappointing exit. It felt like an arrival of sorts, the moment where Norrie finally got to take centre stage after two years as British No1.

The No1 Court crowd carried him across the line, and against Djokovic that partisan atmosphere will likely only sharpen in intensity.

Despite being a six-time champion here, Djokovic has never rivalled the support enjoyed by Nadal and Roger Federer. He is used to being booed when up against those champions, so taking to Centre Court against the only Briton left in the draw at Wimbledon may see him forced into the pantomime villain role once more.

Though he has thrived doing so in the past, Norrie has also found new ways to win this fortnight while playing the home hero. Tapping into that will be key.

Underdog

Djokovic is the overriding favourite to beat Norrie and to win the title - especially considering Nadal's precarious injury situation. Goffin practically scoffed when asked whether he thought Norrie had a chance of beating Djokovic in the semi-final.

"You know the answer, no?" he said with a smirk. "If he's playing the tennis of his life maybe, and Novak is not feeling well, we never know. But Novak is Novak. He's playing even better when the crowd is against him. Novak is just an alien, and to beat an alien, I don't know how."

Norrie has only ever played Djokovic once before, at last year's tour finals where he lost 6-2 6-1.

But leaning into the underdog status may help ease any pressure Norrie is experiencing at Wimbledon. Unlike all the previous rounds, when Norrie was the favourite, there are few expectations of a victory here. It could prove essential to him loosening up and playing his best tennis.