Wimbledon local Arthur Fery was left with no regrets and a bucket load of memories after fulfilling his SW19 dream on Wednesday afternoon.
Fery was handed a mouth-watering first round draw against Daniil Medvedev, the third seed and a former world No.1.
The 20-year-old was always a significant underdog against the 2021 US Open champion but he certainly entertained the Court 1 crowd, causing Medvedev problems on more than one occasion.
The third seed did eventually show his class to prevail 7-5 6-4 6-3, but it was undoubtedly a hugely encouraging display from Fery on his Grand Slam singles debut.
He said: “Playing a player like Daniil was just a great experience to take away. The crowd was great – I enjoyed every moment out there. There’s definitely lots to take forward.
“Even though nerves probably were a little high, I managed to play a really good first two games, which kind of settled me down. Looking around, slowly you just get used to it.
“There’s definitely loads of things to take away. Playing on a big court and playing against an unbelievable player. Some of the shots he hit today I hadn’t seen before – I didn’t think were possible.
“Now that I know the top players do that, it’s just a great experience. There’s lots to take out of it that I can take onto my next performance, and hopefully get back on the big courts here against the big players and feel like it’s more of a normal thing.”
One of the ways that Fery thrilled his home crowd was through his aggressive tactics on court, often coming into serve and volley – a technique few use in the sport these days.
And despite defeat he has no regrets about what he delivered on court.
“I didn’t want to change my game style because I was playing on Court 1 against one of the best players in the world,” added Fery.
“I think, especially against him, coming forward was a great tactic – serve and volley, standing so far back. I got passed a few times, but I was probably going to lose more points from the back anyway.
“I think it was a good tactic. I think more and more guys are doing it against him. I was pretty happy coming forward. Obviously there were a few times where you make the wrong choice or the wrong shot.
“I’m a pretty aggressive player. I think I showed that accurately today.”
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