Wimbledon is less than a week away now, and the grass court season is well under way. While some have already headed to London to begin their preparations, others are getting in one more week of match time at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.
Two of those players are Cam Norrie and Emil Ruusuvuori, who meet in the first round of the ATP 250 event on Tuesday. Who has the upper hand in this clash? Read on for our Norrie vs Ruusuvuori prediction and betting tips.
Player Form: Slim Pickings for Both
Neither Norrie or Ruusuvuori come into Eastbourne with much form at all, making this a critical match heading into Wimbledon.
For Norrie, he’s had an underwhelming season, sitting at 14-12 from the 26 matches he’s played so far in 2024. It’s been two months since the Brit won back-to-back matches, with the last time being the first two rounds of Barcelona.
Prior to that, Norrie’s best results were a Round of 16 effort at the Australian Open, followed by a semi-final in Rio de Janeiro. So far on grass, it’s not been pretty–a loss to world No. 773 Jack Pinnington Jones at the Challenger level, and a defeat to world No. 186 Milos Raonic last week in Queen’s.
Ruusuvuori’s year tells a similar story. The Finn is 12-10 in 2024, with just the one match on grass so far–a loss to world No. 223 Sho Shimabukuro at a Challenger earlier in the month. Between February and May he lost six matches in a row, and has only won two of his past 12.
Earlier in the year, there were promising signs for Ruusuvuori. He made the final in Hong Kong to begin the season, and made back-to-back quarter-finals in Rotterdam and Doha too.
How the Bookies View It: Norrie Ahead
Bookmaker Betfred puts Norrie as the favourite in this clash, with the Brit returning 1/2 for victory. Ruusuvuori isn’t out of the picture, however, with the 25-year-old paying 8/5 to win. Norrie is given a -3.5 game handicap at 21/20, and is expected to prevail 2-0 for a payout of 5/4.
Recent Head-to-Head: Even Stevens
Norrie and Ruusuvuori have met twice before on the ATP Tour, with the pair sharing the honours 1-1. It’s been almost three years since they last played, however, with Ruusuvuori winning their last meeting 7-6(1), 6-3 in Atlanta.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
Ruusuvuori’s drop off in form this season can be partly accredited to an ongoing back injury that the Finn has been struggling with. Given that he’s very low on match time (two matches in the last month), and he withdrew from the Geneva Open in late May, there’s a good chance it’s still an issue for him.
While Norrie hasn’t been playing his best tennis recently, he’s at least been competitive. His last three losses have all gone down to a deciding set. Losing 11-9 in a third set tiebreak against Raonic was tough, and he could very well have won that match.
Home crowd advantage is a big plus for Norrie too, who will be playing in front of British fans in Eastbourne.
Norrie vs Ruusuvuori Betting Tips & Predictions
This may not be the prettiest match, but we do expect Norrie to prevail. The New Zealand-born Brit has more reps on the grass this season, home advantage, and isn’t carrying the same injury issues as Ruusuvuori.
- Norrie to win @ 1/2
- Norrie to win 2-1 @ 29/10
Norrie hasn’t won in straight sets for more than two months, so backing him to go the distance in this one is a strong bet too.
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
In December 2020 we sadly 
