Cameron Norrie says Roger Federer "can go very far" at Wimbledon, claims he struggled to deal with the Swiss' fast-paced game in 3R clash

Cameron Norrie has backed Roger Federer to make a deep run at Wimbledon this year after losing to the Swiss in the third round on Saturday. Federer beat Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 after playing some spotless tennis for the majority of their two-and-a-half hour contest.

The eight-time Wimbledon champion was particularly effective on serve, a fact Norrie acknowledged during his post-match press conference. The Brit admitted he struggled to make inroads into Federer's service games and said that if the Swiss continues to play at such a high level, he could "go very far" at SW19.

"He is serving very well," Norrie said. "I was especially surprised by how difficult it is to attack his second serve. You can tell that he loves this tournament and knows how to play. I think he has been very intelligent on the court, showing such aggressive and dynamic tennis. I think that if he maintains this level, he can go very far in the tournament."

Match win No. 1️⃣0️⃣4️⃣ at #Wimbledon 🎥: @Wimbledon | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ok7sEHzQSr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 3, 2021

Norrie admitted his own performance was not up to the mark, but, in the same breath, pointed out that the Swiss' fast-paced game made things tricky for him.

"I have given too much in the first two sets (but) I competed until the end, I fought very hard to come back, but I was quite disappointed not to have been at the expected level," Norrie said. "I think it was partly because of how fast Roger played. He imposed a very high pace, he took time away from me all the time, but I think I could have done much better today."

Roger Federer's path to the final

Roger Federer after beating Cameron Norrie

Roger Federer will face Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round on Monday. The Swiss has a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Italian, having won their first-round encounter at Roland Garros two years ago.

Should the Swiss survive that battle, he could face either World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev or the reigning Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals.

Federer has a 100% record against Medvedev (3-0) as well as Hurkacz (1-0). But he is unlikely to have an easy time against either of them, considering the improvements the pair have made in the past couple of years.

Federer's semifinal opponent, should he make it that far, could be Matteo Berrettini or Alexander Zverev. The sixth seed has played Zverev twice on grass (Halle 2016, 2017), winning one of those matches (2017). He also defeated Berrettini on this surface at Wimbledon in 2019.

If Federer makes it to the title clash, he is likely to come up against defending champion Novak Djokovic .

Play like a champion. Chew like a champion.@rogerfederer | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/9hsCu5JSSZ

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 3, 2021