Arthur Fery returns to Cincinnati Open after surprise Wimbledon semi-final run
Arthur Fery returned to competition this week at the Cincinnati Open for the first time since his unexpected run to the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard, and said he believes he is at the start of a new chapter in his career.
Fery opted to take a short holiday and a training block following Wimbledon and arrives in Cincinnati at a career-high ranking of No 36. The Briton is seeded No 32 in the tournament — his first direct appearance into a Masters 1000 event — and will receive a first-round bye. He is slated to face either James Duckworth of Australia or a qualifier in round two, with a potential meeting with the fifth seed Alex de Minaur projected for round three.
The jump to No 36 carries practical benefits for Fery’s schedule: he said it will allow him to play only tour events and bypass the qualifying stages he previously had to navigate. Until his breakthrough this summer he had spent his professional career competing on lower-level ATP Challenger events, and he began the grass-court season outside the top 150. His ranking of No 114 at Wimbledon had appeared to leave him needing months to bridge the gap between the tours.
Questions remained over how representative his Wimbledon performance was of his true level, given the specific circumstances of that fortnight. Fery produced consecutive five-set comebacks against Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov, then defeated French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli before losing to Alexander Zverev in the semi-final. Observers noted the advantage of playing on grass, in front of a home crowd and against opponents less familiar with his game.
“It’s the first time that I’ve broken through like that and I’m going to be able to play only tour events, so I’m looking forward to that,” he said.
“I was always confident that I could play with top players. But yeah, now having the ranking to back it up is really great. And obviously you’re playing great players week in, week out, so it’s difficult.
“I think it’s necessary to have a lot of self-belief if you want to do well. It’s a difficult sport with fine margins, so you’ve got to have a lot of self-belief. I think it comes from just proving to myself that I have beaten top players and if I do the right things and train well and feel good in my body, I feel good on court when I’m with those top guys.”
Fery’s immediate task is the Cincinnati Open this week, where his seeding gives him a first-round bye and sets up a round-two meeting with either James Duckworth or a qualifier; a third-round clash with fifth seed Alex de Minaur remains a possible next hurdle in the draw.
