Shortly after Dan Evans had confirmed on Sunday that a calf injury has forced him out of the Davis Cup finals, Cameron Norrie delivered an update that will bring some relief to British tennis fans. Despite his withdrawal from this week’s Paris Masters, the country’s No 1 player expects to be fit for the quarter-final against Serbia next month.
After undergoing scans in recent days, Evans revealed what was first feared when he shouted out in pain during his first-round match at last week’s Vienna Open.
A 3.5cm tear of his calf muscle has brought his season to a premature end, and the British No 2 will now focus all of his efforts on recovering in time for January’s Australian Open.
“I am extremely disappointed but wish the rest of the GB team all the very best in Málaga,” Evans, 33, said. “I will be working hard with my support team to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.”
This is a significant setback for Britain’s chances of overcoming Serbia in the Andalusian city on November 23. Ranked No 35 in the world, Evans has played a key role for the team this year in singles and doubles, establishing a solid partnership with Neal Skupski. And as Norrie acknowledged on Sunday, Evans is also a loud motivator on the courtside bench.
“It’s so tough for him,” Norrie said. “I know how much he loves the Davis Cup and how much he wants to be part of the team. He really got us through, so it is a huge blow for us. We love having him around and hopefully he can come to Málaga to be there with the team. He always brings energy wherever he is and that’s great for the team.”
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There had been concerns about the overall state of Britain’s Davis Cup team when Norrie received treatment on his right knee during a second-round loss in Vienna last Wednesday. He subsequently withdrew from the final Masters tournament of the season in Paris but insisted on Sunday that this was a precautionary move geared towards making sure he was in good condition for Málaga.
“I hurt my right knee in China [during the Asian swing earlier this month] and I was feeling it,” Norrie, 28, said. “We have the Davis Cup coming up and I wanted to be fresh and right in myself for that. It’s big priority for me this season.”
Norrie, ranked No 18, has struggled for form in recent months, winning only two of his past ten matches. Renowned as someone who plays a relentless schedule throughout the year, he conceded that it had all become a little too much for his body.
“The season is very long and there’s no doubt it took its toll on me,” Norrie said. “I’m the kind of guy who needs to fight through and it kind of caught up with me. I lost a lot of close matches at the end of the season.
“After Wimbledon I took a few days off but I haven’t had a period when I’ve had a week away from tennis in quite a while. I’m going to go to Monaco [where he lives] and get some rest. I will swim a lot and do lots of different things but there won’t be any tennis.”
If Norrie is selected by the British captain, Leon Smith, as one of his two singles players next month, he is guaranteed to face the world No 1 Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray and Jack Draper are the two options for a match against the world No 36 Laslo Djere, while Joe Salisbury is in pole position to receive a call-up for the doubles alongside Skupski.
“You want to be playing the best guys in the world,” Norrie said. “But first and foremost I need to get some rest.”
Djokovic makes his return to action in Paris after a seven-week absence. Playing his first tournament since winning a record-equalling 24th grand-slam singles title at the US Open, he is playing both singles and doubles (with Miomir Kecmanovic) as part of his preparations for the Davis Cup.
