Arthur Fery’s emergence onto the world stage could not have come at a more appropriate time for British tennis.
After all, just last week, many were calling for a complete overhaul of their approach to developing talent. This youngster’s run has silenced those complaints, for now.
However, the problems that British tennis and the LTA face are still very real and need addressing sooner rather than later.
Given that they are one of four countries that host a Grand Slam event, their roster of truly elite-level players should be much greater.
Do you believe Arthur Fery can win Wimbledon?
Perhaps the darkest day for tennis in this nation, maybe in its history, came just last week.
Had Arthur Fery not enjoyed a run all the way to the semi-finals, it’s frightening to think just how frustrated fans would now be.
British tennis hit an all-time low at Wimbledon just last week
Judy Murray had called for the LTA to make huge changes just a few days ago, and with good reason.
After all, British tennis made unwanted history on the very first day of The Championships, as ten of the 11 players who competed were knocked out.
In the end, just Fery, Katie Swan and Jacob Fearnley emerged victorious from the first round.
The latter two were then easily beaten in round two.
Fery’s run has been mesmeric and totally unpredictable, thus making it easy to follow and support.
However, he is the exception, not the rule. British tennis has still had a truly diabolical Wimbledon, and something has to change.
Arthur Fery has emerged from nowhere just when British tennis needed him
Those more invested fans will have been acutely aware of Fery before this Wimbledon run.
However, even his biggest fans likely could not have envisioned a breakthrough quite like this one, having soared into the semi-finals in hugely dramatic fashion.
His emergence could not have been more timely with all the talk about the troubles of British tennis last week, assuaging fears after so many big-name withdrawals and the mass early exits.
How bad is the state of British tennis right now?
With such a run, Fery is now guaranteed to be the new British number one, having started the tournament ranked outside of the top 140.
And yet, this could even be seen as an even more damning indictment on the LTA, given the 23-year-old actually enjoyed most of his core development as a part of the American college system.
Fery is papering over the cracks for British tennis, and without him, the outcry could have been even more explosive than it was just a week ago.
