Cameron Norrie, the last remaining British player in the Wimbledon men’s singles draw, likely didn’t anticipate being asked about Emma Raducanu’s love life during his post-match press conference following a third-round win. Yet, that’s exactly what happened and it was every bit as uncomfortable as one might imagine.
The exchange began normally, with a reporter offering congratulations to Norrie on his victory over Mattia Bellucci. But then the conversation took a strange turn.
“Apart from everyone here enjoying the tennis,” the reporter began, “there’s been some buzz about who Emma Raducanu might be dating. Can I ask are you dating her? Can we clear this up?”
Caught off guard, Norrie understandably asked the reporter to repeat the question. The journalist elaborated, saying:
“There’s been talk going around the men’s singles about who Emma is dating, and I wanted to know is it you?”
Norrie replied with a quick and composed, “I’m not, no. You’ll have to ask her.”
If there was ever any doubt about the inappropriateness of such questions during professional sporting events, this moment underscored it. Diverting attention from an athlete’s performance to personal gossip not only derails the tone of a press conference but also adds unnecessary discomfort.
Still, credit goes to Norrie for maintaining his composure and responding with grace, despite the bizarre nature of the inquiry.
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