Arthur Fery set for doctors tests as bloodied star carries Britain at Wimbledon | Tennis | Sport

Arthur Fery’s team are hoping to get to the bottom of his nosebleed issues after he had three on court in the space of three weeks. The SW19 local has literally poured blood and sweat into his Wimbledon run this year and suffered a nosebleed during his last match against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen.

Fery, 23, also had two on his way to the Queen’s quarter-final and Andrew Castle suggested: “It can be a sign of pressure and stress.” And it could well happen again on Saturday as the pressure will only be heightened when the world No.114 faces recent Eastbourne Open champion Zizou Bergs.

But Fery has not been given top showcourt billing, and will return to Court 18, where he beat Virtanen two days ago.

LTA men’s coach Alex Ward, who has helped Fery put his own team together, says there are already plans for the British No.3 to visit doctors after Wimbledon and understand the root cause of his mid-match nosebleeds.

Ward, a retired player who reached No.242, said: “There’s a plan in place for after the tournament to have a look at that and to try and get that sorted. We’re aware obviously they’ve been happening in the last few matches.

“We’re not entirely sure the cause of it. Obviously, it’s probably something to do with being on the match court, in that heightened environment, but it’s going to be hopefully sorted out post [Wimbledon].”

The bleeding isn’t the only thing Fery and his team have had to work around. At 5’9”, the British wildcard is four inches shorter than Belgian world No.37 Bergs, and has one of the smaller statures on the men’s tour.

And Ward, 36, explained: “He has to be an exceptional mover, which he is, and he has to be, in some ways, a better tennis player. He’s got a very good first serve, but he’s not going to get as many cheap points off first serves. He’s had to have quite an all-round game, been able to come to the net, been able to defend, attack, use variation. In general, if you are on the shorter side, you have to be better at the skill side, and fortunately, he is.”

Fery has also been working with an LTA psychologist, James Griffin, who has helped him during his breakthrough runs at Queen’s and Wimbledon. “It’s really helped out with being able to switch off because obviously it’s all new experiences for Arthur,” Ward said.

The French-born lad, who lives in Wimbledon, will crack the top 100 for the first time if he beats Bergs. He has never been this far at a Grand Slam tournament, but Ward said: “The biggest thing as a person is he’s really got true self-belief.

“Not in an arrogant way, but he believes he can beat players that he’s playing here, and he goes on court and he loves it. He genuinely loves being on Court 18 with the crowd, a lot of support.”