Arthur Fery, the British No 2, has spoken about the doubt and pain he endured during two years of arm injury struggles, which preceded his remarkable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this summer. The 24-year-old, who rose to No 36 in the rankings after his five-match winning streak at the All England Club, is now preparing for his US Open debut, which begins this week.
Fery, who was around 300 in the world and still struggling with his arm this time last year, described his Wimbledon success as a dizzying contrast to the testing times he has faced. His run of victories was celebrated as a glorious “Fery-tale”.
Injury battles and doubt
Fery explained that he came back from an arm injury before Wimbledon 2025 and won a round there, which pushed his ranking up. However, he recalled that this time last year he had an MRI scan because his arm was really painful again. “I was battling arm pain for a long time,” he said.
He admitted to doubting he would become a leading player. “Definitely. Between 2023 and 2025 I barely played a full schedule because of my arm. I was battling for two years and it’s still not completely resolved. But it’s on the way there. It’s getting better and I’m able to play a lot of tournaments,” Fery said.
“There was definitely a lot of doubt and some moments where you just can’t find a way out, or see a way of improving things. It’s difficult. But that helped shape me as a warrior who has a good mentality – even though I wish [the arm injury] had never happened.”
Empathy for Draper and Wimbledon memories
Fery also expressed empathy for his friend Jack Draper, who has suffered from the same arm injury and has withdrawn from the US Open after a tearful defeat in Toronto. “It’s the same injury. We text because sometimes his arm’s doing well and mine’s not or vice versa. We always keep in touch and exchange thoughts because it’s not an easy injury at all,” Fery said.
Reflecting on his Wimbledon run, where he beat Grigor Dimitrov and Flavio Cobolli, the world No 10, Fery said: “I always had belief in my level, but my body was stopping me from playing much. When you don’t play much, you can’t play at your top level. You need to practise and have matches under your belt to reach the best of your ability.”
He added: “There were some moments when I was thinking: ‘Oh, this [injury] is what’s going to make me stop playing tennis, or be the limiting factor in my career.”
Recent form and ranking goals
Fery played his first tournament since Wimbledon at the Cincinnati Open, where he reached the third round before losing 7-5, 7-6 to the world No 8, Alex de Minaur. He earned $36,100 in Cincinnati after a grinding victory over James Duckworth. This contrasts with the £900,000 he won after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals against world No 3 Alexander Zverev.
Fery, who won his first ATP title in Barranquilla last year, said of his Challenger experiences: “Challengers are really difficult and everyone is really hungry to win and it’s tough. The conditions are not as good as they are on tour – where everyone wants to be. So a lot of players there are tough to beat. The average level is a little lower than the ATP tour but the willpower and hunger to win is very high.”
Looking ahead, Fery said: “I started the year at No 180 and I wanted to be top 100 by the end of the year. I’ve got that done but I now need to stabilise as a top 30 player and then push on because there are a lot of things I feel like I do better than those players above me. But there are also lots of things where I’m not as good as them.”
Fery, who is only 1.75 metres (5ft 9in) tall, acknowledged areas for improvement, including playing on clay and dealing with high balls. He also noted the importance of having good people around him, citing his coach, parents, and agent as guiding him down the right road.
