Cameron Norrie’s last British relative will be cheering him on against Novak Djokovic from his home in Wales tomorrow
CAMERON Norrie’s only remaining relative in the UK will be cheering him on from his home in Wales tomorrow as he goes head to head with former champion Novak Djokovic.
Great uncle Ralph Williams, 85, who still lives in Cardiff, has lost touch with his tennis star nephew but will be willing him on in the semi-final on Friday.
Ralph told The Sun: “He’s doing very well isn’t he? I’ll be watching on Friday, hoping he can do it.”
He said he was surprised that his great nephew had overtaken twice Wimbledon winner Andy Murray as the new darling of British tennis.
He said: “It’s nice that he has done so well and I’m hoping he gets to the final by beating Djokovic. I’ll be watching on TV and cheering him on.”
Ralph, who is the brother of Cam’s grandad Glyn, hasn’t seen Cameron since he was aged 12 and living in New Zealand with his niece Helen, the British Number One’s Cardiff-born mum.
The pensioner, who lives alone in a sheltered housing complex, in Whitchurch, Cardiff, said: “She went to live overseas at a young age - she is my brother’s daughter. I went to see them in New Zealand - it was before Cameron took up tennis.
“But we’ve sort of drifted apart since then. I don’t really keep in touch with them very much these days. They don’t want to know an old fogey like me.”
Mr Williams was born in Wales and is more of a rugby fan than tennis, a game he’s never played.
Norrie faces a tough match against Djokovic at Wimbledon tomorrow as Nick Kyrgios takes on Rafael Nadal.
'LEVEL-HEADED'
His girlfriend Louise Jacobi, who was in tears at the end of his Quarter-Final, will be alongside dad David, mum Helen, and sister Bronwen on Centre Court this afternoon.
Louise, 32, revealed how romantic Cam flew her out to see him in Vienna after they first met in a bar in New York.
Interior designer Louise said it was his "persistence" and the fact he did "an amazing job at keeping in touch" even when they were thousands of miles apart that helped their romance to flourish.
She said: "When he asked me [to go to Vienna], I thought: 'I guess this guy doesn't live a normal life, and it's not like I can meet (him) down the street and go to dinner together'.
"So I went on this trip and was only supposed to be in Vienna for five days, and things just went really well. I had a wonderful time with him.
When asked what Norrie is like off the court, Louise said: "Pretty similar to on the court, in the sense that he's very calm, very level-headed, easy-going and takes things as they come.
"That's pretty much exactly how he is.
"He loves golf and he loves playing with his trainer who stays with us a lot - backgammon, playing with their Rubik's Cubes, timing each other and stuff like that.
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"When he retires I want to go skiing with him, but right now is not the time."
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When asked about how she was feeling for Norrie's next game against the world number one, Novak Djokovic, Louise said: "It's definitely going to be a tough match.
"But I know he can do it."
