Cameron Norrie shuts down top British lawyer for labeling the player ‘sportswashed’ ahead of his participation in the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia
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Cameron Norrie - IMAGO / Bildbyran
Cameron Norrie, the British No. 1 and the World No. 14 will be one of the big names participating in the Diriyah Tennis Cup. The 3-day event will be held in Saudi Arabia next month with the tournament offering $3 million in total prize money. Alongside Norrie, reigning Olympics gold medallist Alexander Zverev and former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will also compete.
The tournament has however come under the criticism of many. Saudi Arabia has been accused of human rights violations and going to the nation for an exhibition event doesn’t sit well with many. This includes Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s head of priority campaigns and individuals at risk.
Jakens accused Norrie of being ‘sportswashed’ by the large sum of money. Saudi Arabia has been accused of organizing these events and bringing the top stars of the sports to make the news for good reasons.
“With Saudi Arabia currently throwing sizeable bundles of money at everything from golf and Grand Prix, to boxing and football, it’s really important that top sporting figures use their high profiles to speak out about Saudi human rights abuses. We’d like to see any player who agrees to compete in Diriyah refusing to be passively used for sportswashing by speaking out on human right issues,” said Jakens.
Norrie did not like the accusations and gave a stern reply. “I don’t feel it’s right for me to get involved with individual government politics. My job is to be a professional tennis player and this event in Saudi allows me to train with some of the best players in the world and to potentially win the Australian Open,” said Norrie as per BBC.
Cameron Norrie finishes his second year in a row as the British No. 1
Norrie had another good outing on the ATP Tour this year. The Briton reached four finals during the season, winning two while finishing runner-up on two. He won the ATP-250 title on the hardcourts of Delray Beach and the claycourts of Lyon. He finished runner-up in Acapulco and Los Cabos.
Having risen to the British No. 1 rank in October last year, Norrie was unmoved from the top as he remained a visiting member in the Top 10. A slump in results however towards the end however sees Norrie end the season as World No. 14.
In the Grand Slams, Norrie suffered a first-round exit in Melbourne, followed by a 3rd round exit in Paris. At the home slam in Wimbledon, Norrie reached the semi-finals before losing to defending and eventual champion Novak Djokovic. However, with no ranking points on offer at this year’s Wimbledon, Norrie’s rank could not improve. Norrie lost in the 4th round in the US Open to close out his Grand Slams season.
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Sarthak Shitole
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