Wimbledon 2025 was supposed to be the year of Jack Draper. At 23 and riding high as British No.1, Draper arrived at SW19 as the fourth seed and the home crowd’s great hope.
He was the name on everybody’s lips, with many pundits and fans alike tipping him to go deep into the Championships for the first time—some even daring to dream of a semi-final spot.
With what looked like his ‘easiest’ draw yet, punters flocked to claim free bets and back him to have a breakout year at Wimbledon.
But that dream unravelled quickly. Draper suffered another early exit at the All England Club—his third second-round in as many outings—falling to a resurgent Marin Cilic.
There’s no disgrace in losing to a former Grand Slam champion and Wimbledon finalist, especially one rediscovering his touch on grass. But it wasn’t the storyline Draper, or the nation had envisioned.
Yet as one British star dimmed, another began to burn bright once again.
Enter Cam Norrie. The 29-year-old, once tipped to inherit Andy Murray’s mantle, had all but faded from the spotlight.
Ranked No.8 in the world just three years ago after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022, Norrie had since plummeted down the rankings and entered this year’s tournament as the world No.61.
With the media frenzy focused on Draper, and even Emma Raducanu, Norrie was largely overlooked. But that anonymity may have been his secret weapon.
He started quietly but confidently, dispatching Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets. That set up a daunting second-round tie against 12th seed Frances Tiafoe—a fan favourite and a common selection for those using free bets.
Tiafoe took the first set as expected, but Norrie refused to lie down. He battled back brilliantly to take the next three sets and the match, in what proved a real statement of intent.
His third-round opponent, Italian Mattia Bellucci, was swiftly dealt with in straight sets, setting up a round-of-16 clash with Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry.
That match would become an epic. On a packed Court One, the pair traded blows for more than four hours in a five-set thriller.
Jarry pushed him all the way—taking sets three and four in tight tiebreaks—but Norrie eventually triumphed 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3.
Into his second Wimbledon quarter-final, Norrie faced an uphill battle against Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard was seeking a third consecutive Wimbledon crown and arrived in ominous form.
While Norrie famously beat Alcaraz in the 2023 Rio Open final, this was a different stage and a different Alcaraz. The World No.2 delivered a clinical performance to end the Brit’s dream run in straight sets.
But the story of Cam Norrie’s Wimbledon revival was already written.
In a year where Draper and Raducanu were supposed to lead the British charge, it was Norrie—ranked outside the top 60, burdened by no great expectations—who reminded everyone of his class and composure on grass.
He was the underdog who kept delivering—turning heads and quietly defying the odds. He was the familiar face finding form again when it mattered most.
Wimbledon 2025 may not have been the year of Draper, but it gave us something else—the return of Norrie, fighting hard, winning hearts, and proving that comebacks are still possible, especially at Wimbledon.