Arthur Fery will become the new British No 1 male tennis player after his remarkable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, where he was beaten in straight sets by second seed Alexander Zverev. The 23-year-old wildcard lost 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4 on Friday, ending a fairytale campaign that was the best performance by a wildcard since Goran Ivanisevic won the title in 2001.
Fery: 'I need some time off'
An exhausted Fery said he was looking forward to a belated holiday after putting his plans on hold for the tournament. “I was meant to be coming back from holiday today,” he said. “Was meant to be going to Greece with some friends. We’ll see if that’s still in the cards. One of my friends went ahead of time, hoping I would lose so I could join him. [But] he came back two days later and was supporting me.”
“I definitely need some time off, process everything that’s happened these past two weeks, have some time off tennis. It’s been a good grass season but a long one, mentally challenging.”
Ranking rise and future expectations
Fery will rise from No 114 to No 36 in the rankings on Monday, making him the British No 1 and guaranteeing automatic entry into all major events. He acknowledged the increased expectations that will come with his new status. “It’s going to change things, for sure,” he said. “I’m going to be able to play tour events at least for a full year, hopefully for more. It’s going to be interesting to see, important to see how I deal with that change and everything that brings in terms of expectations from myself, from the public, from everyone. I’m already looking forward to that. It’s going to be a challenge to deal with all of that, but I’m conscious of it already and that’s the first step.”
Reflection on the semi-final loss
Fery admitted that Zverev was simply too good on the day. “It might have been just a step too far. The opponent was a step up again,” he said. Despite the defeat, he expressed pride in his performance and his recovery from injury over the past year. “I feel like I’ve showcased it here, but also in the past year since I came back from injury, I’ve played really high-level tennis.”
