The assets Cameron Norrie must maximise to challenge Djokovic

After spending four long, intense and heartbreaking hours on court with Cameron Norrie during their five-set quarter-final on Tuesday and then speaking about him with admiration to the press, David Goffiin was asked the one pressing question that was still to be resolved: could Norrie beat Novak Djokovic?

“We never know, we never know,” said Goffin, although his smile and the shake of his head betrayed his doubt. “If he’s playing the tennis of his life maybe, and Novak is not feeling well, we never know, we never know. But Novak is Novak. He’s playing even better when the crowd is against him. Novak is just an alien, and to beat an alien, I don’t know how to do [it].”

Goffin’s perspective is the prevailing outlook on the task facing Norrie against an opponent who is two wins from his fourth successive Wimbledon title. If Norrie is to stand a chance, there are a number of assets he must draw upon.

Related: Cameron Norrie digs deep to sink Goffin and set up Djokovic semi-final

On Tuesday evening, Norrie reflected on the significance of his five-set victory over Goffin and he explained that as he formulated a plan with his coach, Facundo Lugones, they concluded that the match would only truly begin after two hours. Norrie’s fitness is the focal point of his success and he takes great pride in it. He believes he can outlast all opponents.

Standing before Norrie on the court is the one player in the world who would certainly disagree. Djokovic reached the semi-final by defeating Jannik Sinner in an increasingly typical sequence, recovering from a two-set deficit with relative ease. Even though Norrie may have to produce one of the best attacking performances of his career just to keep things close, especially on grass, he