Arthur Fery tells Wimbledon rival ‘stop staring at me’ as tensions boil over in umpire row | Tennis | Sport

Arthur Fery said he told Damir Dzumhur to “stop staring at [him]” as tensions boiled over during their first-round Wimbledon clash. The British wildcard came from a set and a break down to win 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-1 after a dispute in the second set, and later said he “expected” that sort of behaviour from the world No. 105.

The drama came at 2-1 in set two, when Dzumhur believed one of his serves was a let and sent the ball into the net. But a call never came from the umpire, and Fery was awarded the point – a break point. The Bosnian immediately stormed to the net, confronting the chair official and asking Fery to “look in my eyes” and confirm that he didn’t stop playing.

The British No. 3 confirmed he hadn’t heard a let and continued as normal, but Dzumhur wasn’t happy. He was broken, and Fery won the last five games of the set to take it 6-2. Throughout the second set, the world No. 105 continued ranting, also complaining to the supervisor.

Meanwhile, the wildcard put earbuds in during one changeover to block out the noise. Fery started the third set on a high, racing into a 3-0 lead. From 0-2 down in the second, he’d won nine straight games before Dzumhur finally got back on the board.

But the Bosnian never found his groove after that incident, and Fery booked his spot in the second round with a four-set victory. And the Brit didn’t hold back when he reflected on Dzumhur’s behaviour later on.

“I mean, it was expected, to be honest. He does that with everyone. Yeah, I guess I was just ready for it before the match. He, I mean, if it’s a let, it’s a let for everyone, right, it’s not just a let for him. Whether the point carries on or not, it’s the same for both of us,” Fery said.

“Yeah, he obviously wants to make a problem with the ref, with the umpire, and then is trying to speak to me about it. But, I mean, there is nothing to really speak about. Yeah, just trying to get the other player involved for no reason, yeah.”

Although the 23-year-old is still relatively new on the scene at ATP Tour-level, this wasn’t the first time he faced conflict in a match. “Whether it’s in challengers or tour level or college or futures, yeah, it’s just dealing with confrontation, I guess. Yeah, to be honest, probably benefited me in a certain way, because I was a bit slow, a bit heavy on my legs, and so that got the spark ignited in me. Yeah, just got myself going,” Fery added.

“He wasn’t talking about me to the umpire, I don’t think. But yeah, I mean, when someone is complaining a lot at change of ends or in between points and stuff, it can be maybe at the start. But then, no, it didn’t affect me too much today.

“Yeah, I felt like at some point he was also getting physically and mentally tired, and then he just stopped talking, because he didn’t have the energy to do that, as well. So, yeah, but again, I was just trying to focus on myself and block out all the noise, and that’s the best way to deal with those kinds of situations.

“I was trying to stay out of it, to be honest. And then again, we know with Dzumhur that he does that. It’s one of his ways of maybe getting himself fired up or, yeah, I don’t know, speaking to the other player.

“But, yeah, no, he was just staring at me. I said, Well, stop staring at me, something along those lines. Yeah, but nothing more. Nothing more. He knows he’s in the wrong when he does these things. I think deep down he knows he’s in the wrong. No, just trying to make sure that it doesn’t affect my emotional state. Yeah, just keep going with my match.”

Fery also addressed the earbuds he put in during one changeover, revealing that it wasn’t the first time he used them. He explained: “I have been doing it for a while now. I don’t use them every match. It helps me, as well. Not just for the opponent, but just in general for the crowd, and keeps me in my zone.

“To be honest, I always carry an eye mask and earplugs in case I have a nap during the day or it rains and I’m stuck at the club. Yeah, I can’t remember where exactly, but yeah, start of this year I was in a match, and I knew they were in my bag. And I was frustrated with the noise around me at change of ends, so I just put them in. Yeah, from then on, I just kept them in my bag and use them from time to time. I find it helpful.”

Fery is through to the second round of Wimbledon for the second year running. He now faces qualifier Otto Virtanen, who stunned No. 4 seed Ben Shelton in a final-set tiebreak. “It’s an opportunity,” the wildcard said. “Virtanen [made finals of] Birmingham and Nottingham. Yeah, he beat Shelton today. He’s obviously a great player, great grass court player.”

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