Arthur Fery didn’t win a set against Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
He came closest to doing so in the first set, which he lost in a tiebreaker, 6-7 (0-7).
It was during the first set that Fery expressed his frustration with several calls made by umpire Marijana Veljovic.
Where will Arthur Fery be ranked at the end of the year?
He's up 78 places from 114th!
After the match, the new British number one shared his thoughts.
Arthur Fery thought umpire Marijana Veljovic missed three let calls in the first set of his Wimbledon semi-final
During his post-match press conference, Fery was asked what he said to Veljovic.
“I thought that there were a lot of lets, three in total, that she didn’t call,” said Fery.
“Sascha [Zverev] heard one of them, as well. He told me that he heard a let.
“Yeah, the umpire was trying to tell me that it was coming out of the microphone, not out of the actual hitting the net…
“I mean, I’m not one to complain on court, and I’m not one to hear poorly.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that she missed some net cords. That was the discussion, yeah.”
There is no technology available to umpires regarding lets; therefore, mistakes aren’t all that uncommon.
During the BBC’s Wimbledon commentary, Tim Henman and John McEnroe discussed the issue.
“It is mad with all the technology that we have, the electronic line calling, there was a net device, but it was not good at all,” said Henman.
“They were charging too much?” asked McEnroe.
“Well, I think they could probably afford it, but it didn’t work,” Henman replied.
“You would think someone would come up with a better piece of technology, but in the Slams, there hasn’t been a net cord device for quite some time; it’s just the umpire that calls it, or doesn’t call it, as the case may be.”
Fery wasn’t happy with the calls, but the reality is that even if those three points had gone his way, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the match.
Arthur Fery vs Alexander Zverev – Match stats
| Stats | Arthur Fery | Alexander Zverev |
| Aces | 5 | 9 |
| Double faults | 4 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 70% | 75% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 59% | 78% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 48% | 89% |
| Break points | 1/1 | 4/8 |
| Points won | 70 | 107 |
The 23-year-old now needs to move on from the incident and the match itself.
Fery is a top-40 player, gaining him access to most ATP main draws, but where will he play next?
Arthur Fery plans to play Winston-Salem and the Cincinnati Open before the US Open
During his press conference, Fery shared his plans for the coming months.
“Well, I’m going to go to the U.S. and play,” he said.
“I was signed up for the Montreal [Masters] 1000, which I don’t know if I’ll play yet. It’s undecided.
“Then, yeah, planning on playing Cincinnati and Winston-Salem, then my first main draw at the US Open.”
Arthur Fery’s provisional schedule
- Canadian Open (Masters 1000) – Begins August 1
- Cincinnati Open (Masters 1000) – Begins August 13
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – Begins August 23
- US Open (Grand Slam) – Begins August 30
He was also asked which events he is excited to play now that his ranking is no longer an issue.
“With regards to tournaments I haven’t played yet that I would love to play, I’m looking forward to playing in Asia. It’s going to be great,” said Fery.
“I don’t know which exact events I’ll play. Definitely Shanghai Masters. Before that, yeah, Tokyo, Beijing.
“Looking forward to playing Australia again. I love that place. Played the main draw already. But, yeah, looking forward to playing there again.
“Maybe Monte-Carlo, I’d say.”
He can play wherever he chooses, although the Briton might want to be careful, as Marion Bartoli warned Fery not to ‘overplay’ after Wimbledon.
There is a lot to look forward to if you’re Fery, but he won’t want to derail his charge towards the top of men’s tennis by rushing things.
