British tennis No1 Cameron Norrie is friends with a rock legend, but lives a modest life with his £5m fortune
CAMERON Norrie will be hopeful of going one better at Wimbledon this year, but you can bet he will not get carried away.
In 2022, the British tennis No1 reached the semi-finals, before he was beaten by the eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.
But, despite amassing a wealth of £5million, the handsome 27-year-old – who has sponsors including trainer giant K-Swiss and Swiss watch manufacturer Rado – prefers the modest life.
The South African-born left-hander, who speaks with a soft New Zealand drawl, prefers to cycle everywhere and it is believed he has shunned owning a car.
However, his elevated status in the sports world has seen him score A-list pals, including rocker Jon Bon Jovi.
While his girlfriend is the beautiful Louise Jacobi, a glamorous New Yorker with her own interior design company.
Incredibly, he learned how to play tennis with a squash racket.
Learning tennis
Speaking of his early years, Norrie said: “When I was three or four I moved to New Zealand and went to school there.
“I played all sports in New Zealand. Cricket, rugby, tennis as well as cross country for the school.
“I was playing pretty much every sport until 14 or 15 which was when I honed in on tennis.
“Both my parents were very good squash players…
“My dad was No1 in Scotland for the Universities and my mum was a great player too so they had squash rackets all throughout the house and the garage.
“Do you remember the old squash rackets? They were really long and thin with a tiny head… really old school.
“I remember my mum sawed off the handle of her racket and we played with sawn off squash rackets in the driveway.
“That was how I started playing tennis and first hitting the ball.”
Doesn’t own a car
Last year, when Norrie was on his epic run in SW19 it emerged the modest sports star was getting to practice by bicycle.
“I don’t even have a car. I’m not a proper cyclist, I have a little single-speed bike that makes it tough with the hills.
“Honestly, I’ve not been recognised cycling at all but it’s nice to beat the traffic and it’s a good warm-up, for sure.”
A quick look through his Instagram, and there’s still no car being shown off yet to his 148,000 followers.
There’s little else other than tennis.
It nearly all came crashing down
Before fame, Norrie had his own near-death experience.
While studying sociology at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas a moped accident became his wake up call.
Partying too hard and making the wrong decisions could have cost him.
Seven years ago, on his way to see a former girlfriend, he came off his bike.
He needed six stitches on his chin and missed out on a professional tournament.
His coach said he could have DIED in the crash — and gave him an ultimatum: Carry on partying and you’re off the team.
“It was a realisation that I was kind of not doing it the way I wanted to do it and making not the best decisions,” he revealed.
“I was going out more than I probably should have been, like a typical student there at TCU, enjoying myself a lot.
“After that the coaches really kicked me into gear and I was definitely more professional after that.
“I grew up a lot after that. From then on, I was like, OK, I want to play tennis and commit to that and do that.”
Keeping him on the straight and narrow
Norrie parked his hedonistic lifestyle with the help of current girlfriend, Louise Jacobi.
A textiles designer, she worked for Calvin Klein before taking on a job as a consultant for agency, Please Don’t Touch.
They have been dating for roughly three years, although it is not known how they met, and she has been described as being a ‘calm, positive impact’ by his mum and dad.
Cameron’s mother Helen revealed: “She has a calm about her. I think she’s been good for him and they are able to talk about other things away from the court.
“Cameron is a bright boy and you have got to have other interests in life otherwise you would go mad.”
Livin’ on a Prayer
Rock stars and tennis players don’t often go hand-in-hand.
But Norrie has formed a firm friendship with Jon Bon Jovi, thanks to partner Louise who is pals with the rocker’s son.
The singer invited him over to his Palm Beach, Florida mansion, where they went to a local tennis club for a game.
“He loves tennis and I hit with him for a little bit and then we went to his house for lunch,” Norrie told the Daily Mail.
“He is really nice and so cool, a very humble guy. We went to a local club five minutes from where he lives and had the hit, he wasn’t recognised and it was very chilled.
“With some of the people who you come into contact with through your career you get kind of excited, but he’s very down to earth. He came to watch me in practice.
“I think in the last two years he just started liking tennis. He used to run a lot and now he uses playing as a workout.
“He has a pretty decent technique on his forehand. I thought I would invite him down, and he’s coming to Wimbledon as well.”
With Wimbledon approaching, and Bon Jovi on his side, Norrie will hopefully be livin’ on more than a prayer when he takes to Centre Court.