Cameron Norrie corrects John Inverdale over '˜English' remark

Cameron Norrie was quick to correct John Inverdale. File picture: Getty Images

The British No.3 was being interviewed by Inverdale after advancing to the second round of the French Open on his Roland Garros debut, after first-round opponent Peter Gojowczyk retired injured.

Inverdale asked: “I’m sure you’re bored silly of talking about your background - born in South Africa, educated in New Zealand... university in America, all that sort of stuff.

“You mentioned your mum and dad - one’s a Scot, one’s a proud Welshperson - how important have they been for you throughout this globetrotting experience?”

Inverdale was interviewing Norrie after he advanced to the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros. Picture: Getty Images

Norrie replied: “They are still living in New Zealand at the moment so it’s actually quite tough to see them but they have been very good, very understanding.

“They’ve listened to the coaches and their advice so they’ve been quite stand-offish, but they’ve been very supportive and they want the best for me.

“But it’s nice to have them here and be able to switch off from tennis a little bit. They’ve been great for me and I love having them here and around.”

The 60-year-old broadcaster then asked Norrie if he felt “more British” after his experience at the Davis Cup.

Norrie laughed as he replied: “I feel British but my dad still has a filthy Scottish accent so I’m hearing that a lot... but the Davis Cup did help my exposure and my experience, so it was great for me.”

But Norrie had to correct Inverdale’s follow-up question, with the presenter asking: “Do your friends from New Zealand, and from America, do they say you’re starting to sound more English now when you talk to them?”

Norrie correct him: “I’m not English, I prefer to say British because of the Scots thing...”

The Johannesburg-born player wound up the chat by saying he was targeting a place in the top 20 over the next two years.

It’s not the first time Inverdale has had to be corrected by a player.

Andy Murray also took the broadcaster to task when he appeared to overlook the success of the Williams sisters during a 2016 exchange.

After Murray claimed his second Olympic gold medal, Inverdale asked him: “You’re the first person ever to win two Olympic gold medals, that’s an extraordinary feat, isn’t it?”

Murray was quick to correct the presenter, telling him: “Well, to defend the singles title … I think Venus and Serena [Williams] have won about four each but hadn’t defended a singles title before.”

And in 2013, the BBC was forced to apologise after Inverdale commented that 2013 Wimbledon winner Marion Bertoli “was never going to be a looker”.

Earlier this year, former Ireland rugby captain Paul O’Connell took the presenter to task for comments he made during the BBC’s Six Nations coverage.

During the post-match discussion following Scotland’s Calcutta Cup win over England, Inverdale suggested that the performance of referee Nigel Owens could come under scrutiny, saying: “A lot of debate is going to be about how Nigel Owens handled the game, particularly in the second half and one or two key decisions that were made.”

O’Connell replied: “If you want to do a forensic analysis of the game... if you’re an England supporter then you can look at every ruck and see a penalty for you; you can see one for Scotland if you’re a Scotland supporter.

“But - in my eyes - I thought Nigel Owens had a good game.”