LONDON, June 14, 2017 (Press Release)

The Aegon Championships has awarded a wild card to rising British player Cameron Norrie.

The 21-year-old has yet to play in a full ATP World Tour event but has made significant strides recently, breaking into the world’s Top 250 a month after turning professional on a full-time basis. He will now line up against many of the best tennis players in the world when the official Aegon Championships draw is made on Saturday.

“I’m really excited and grateful to have been given a wild card into the Aegon Championships,” said Norrie. “It’s a great opportunity for me to show what I can do and to find out where I am level-wise in one of the biggest and best tournaments in the world.” 

Norrie attended university in Texas (TCU) where he was the No.1 ranked NCAA player. The wild card comes after impressive results on the challenger circuit, including a final in Aptos last year and a semifinal in Hawaii in January. In Surbiton last week, he beat the World No.71 Malek Jaziri.

Aegon GB Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, said: “Cameron is a player with exciting potential. He has made good progress during his time at US College and is already ranked in the world’s top 250. Now he’s turned pro he can fully commit to developing his tennis towards Tour level. This wild card gives him a chance to accelerate his progress and see where he’s at against the best players in the world.”

The Aegon Championships field will be led by the World No.1 and defending champion Andy Murray, the reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, 2014 winner Grigor Dimitrov, and last year’s runner-up Milos Raonic. Juan Martin del Potro, Nick Kyrgios, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych are also part of the field.

Britain’s Kyle Edmund has gained direct entry into the draw for the first time after the withdrawal of Diego Schwartzman through injury. Edmund, ranked 44, had previously been awarded a wild card.