"I never thought I could win this award, it’s surreal" - Cameron Norrie's coach, Facundo Lugones on being named ATP Coach of the Year

Having won the ATP Coach of the Year award for 2021, Facundo Lugones, coach of World No. 12 Cameron Norrie, has admitted it was something he never expected to achieve.

Lugones helped Norrie post a superb 52-25 record to finish 2021 at a career-high ranking of 12th, after the Brit started the year as the World No. 74.

Lugones and Norrie met at Texas Christian University, where they were teammates on the tennis team. The Argentine helped the team as a volunteer coach, before accepting Norrie's offer to become his traveling coach after the Brit turned professional in 2017.

In an interview with ATPTour.com, Lugones expressed his disbelief at being named ATP Coach of the Year, while paying tribute to those who have helped him.

"I’m incredibly happy," Lugones said. "I never thought I could win this award, it’s surreal. But that’s the beauty of the sport, that anything could happen. I just want to also thank my team, Julian [Romero] and Vasek [Jursik], they work incredibly hard throughout the year to get Cam ready."

"And also Devin Bowen and James Trotman since day one, helping the whole team," Lugones continued. "Most importantly I want to thank Cam for being an animal and getting through all those tough matches that ended up getting me the award."

Cameron Norrie enjoyed a superb 2021 season

Cameron Norrie in Innsbruck during the Davis Cup Finals 2021

Cameron Norrie won two ATP titles this year, the biggest highlight of which was the Indian Wells Masters in October.

The World No. 12 was a runner-up at four other events: the Estoril Open, the Lyon Open, the Queen's Club Championships and the San Diego Open. Norrie also played two matches at the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin as an alternate.

The 26-year-old has been nominated for the ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award along with Carlos Alcaraz, Aslan Karatsev and Casper Ruud.