Arthur Fery Sets Sight on North American Swing as His Next Goal After Incredible Wimbledon Run

Arthur Fery‘s exit from the Wimbledon Championships has placed him at a level he has never been before in his career. For a player who struggled to live up to the expectations he once had during the Juniors and, within two weeks, climbed the ATP rankings ladder, which will see him feature in tour-level events until the end of the season, is, without a doubt, mind-blowing.

Before Wimbledon, Fery had often played on the ATP Challenger Tour. During this year’s grass-court season, tournaments in his home country (Britain) handed him wildcards, allowing him to compete at the Queen’s Club Championships and the Eastbourne International before arriving at the All England Club.

In fact, before SW19, he had only played in the main draw of an event categorized as an ATP 250 or above five times in his career. But following his semi-final run, he has jumped from World No.114 to No.36 in the ATP Live Rankings. The 23-year-old exceeded expectations at the grass-court Grand Slam with a stunning run against players more experienced than he.

The British star finds himself in uncharted territory as his Wimbledon run has elevated him to the limelight, and there’s now media interest in his incredible rise on tour. He now has the freedom to choose tournaments and compete more in ATP Masters 1000 events on tour for the first time in his career.

He will also be able to face top players on the ATP circuit, which will give him the experience and exposure he needs to develop his game. In his media interview after losing to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, Fery admitted he’s still undecided whether he will play the Canadian Open, as he plans to take a brief rest from the tour, but will be back on the court for the Cincinnati Open and Winston-Salem before the US Open:

I will go to the United States and play. I entered the Masters 1000 in Canada, but I’m not sure if I will play yet. It is yet to be decided. Then I plan to participate in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem, and finally, my first main draw at the US Open. As for tournaments I haven’t played and would love to, I’m looking forward to playing in Asia. It will be great. I’m not sure exactly which events I will play. I will definitely participate in the Masters 1000 in Shanghai…

The Canadian Open will kick off on August 1 and end on the 13th of that same month. However, the Cincinnati Open will begin with the opening round on the 13th, the same day as the Canadian Masters men’s final. Players prefer to play at Cincinnati ahead of the US Open, due to the shortness of time between the Canadian Open and the American ATP Masters 1000 event.

Arthur Fery gives reasons for his straight-sets loss against Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon

Arthur Fery had defeated Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov in five sets to earn his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Before that, he shockingly ousted Flavio Cobolli in straight sets, winning the third set 6-0 in the quarter-finals. But against Alexander Zverev, he couldn’t replicate the kind of performances that he had produced in previous rounds.

The British star showed fight and aggression in his game, but Zverev looked to counter all his game plans easily. Despite the crowd being on his side at the Center Court on Friday (July 10), he fell 6(7)-7, 2-6, 4-6 against the World No.3. During the aforementioned press conference, he revealed what led to his loss against Zverev:

I felt good before the match. For some reason, I didn’t feel as comfortable as on other days. Partly because of the opponent and how he was playing. But yes, I didn’t feel as comfortable or as at ease as on other days. There are many ups and downs in each match. I didn’t play a good tie-break. He was always applying constant pressure.

Fery would have been the second man since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 to reach the final of Wimbledon as a wild card. Nonetheless, Zverev will face Jannik Sinner at the grass-court Grand Slam final on Sunday (July 11). He will hope to win his second major tournament, having claimed the French Open last year.

Also Read: Marta Kostyuk Blasts IOC Over Russian Olympic Committee Decision Following Wimbledon Exit