Cameron Norrie hoping to have Jon Bon Jovi’s support at Wimbledon

Cameron Norrie has yet to attend to business at the French Open but the British number one is looking forward to some celebrity endorsements at Wimbledon this summer.

It’s hard to call Norrie a rock ‘n’ roll tennis player, but he revealed an unlikely friendship earlier this year when he hooked up with singing superstar Jon Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi has been watching Norrie in Miami and the 27-year-old is hoping to see him in his player box at the All England Club.

“He was so cool to play with,” said Norrie, whose girlfriend knows one of Bon Jovi’s sons.

“He’s growing into tennis and I think he’ll perform and watch at Wimbledon. So it’s cool to see him enjoying it. Getting to know him and spending time with him was great.

“I’m not really the biggest of his fans. Of course I respect his music and know many of his songs. It’s cool to see how he’s getting into tennis and liking it. He plays almost every day.

“I will hopefully see him hit some balls over the course of Wimbledon time. I’m sure he will enjoy Wimbledon. I think he has a few shows planned for the British summer as well.”

Norrie will try to break new ground at Roland Garros on Friday when he takes on talented Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

The British number one has reached this stage for the third straight season but has never progressed, having to reverse the result of a clash on clay in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago.

“I was playing at such a high level with him and I lost a little bit of concentration and focus and my level dropped a lot but I was able to find ways to gain points,” said 21-year-old Norrie-aged Musetti.

“I think I have a pretty good game against him but I have to play really, really well. His best surface is clay and he’s had a lot of really tough games.

“He got Djokovic to five here so he can play well. I think it’s a really difficult draw and I really have to do my best to have a chance with him. He beat me in the last round, so, good guy, good third round. I expect a tough game.”

While Musetti represents a step up from his previous opponents, Norrie will no doubt be relieved not to face the French crowd again after his victories over Benoit Paire and Lucas Pouille.

The Paire duel was a five-set roller coaster ride, but Norrie lost just seven games to Pouille, downplaying concerns about the strain under his left knee.

“In the first round with Benoit, I hit a smash in the back of the court early in the second set and I felt that a little bit,” he said.

“I think as tennis players we struggle with a few issues here and there. I’ve been working hard with my team to make sure I’m getting my body as fit as possible.

“I was able to play without any problems, that was a good sign. I was very happy with the way I was moving, reacting and returning and making a lot of first balls. It definitely didn’t affect my performance at all.”

While Norrie is the only British singles player left in Paris as of Monday, doubles representation remains strong.

Jamie Murray and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus advanced to the third round on Thursday with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Murray linked up with Venus following the retirement of his former partner Bruno Soares last year and the pair have already won three titles together, including in Geneva last week.

“We did really well,” Murray said. “I think we played a really good game. We knew we had to play well to get these guys. I’ve played them so many times.

“We did a lot of good today, so I’m happy. I’m excited to see where the team is now and where we can get to.”