Wimbledon: Arthur Féry, son of the president of FC Lorient, made Medvedev tremble

2023-07-05 20:22:58

A 17th French player walked the lawn of Wimbledon. On court No. 1, between the drops that have been disrupting the London Grand Slam since Monday, Arthur Féry tickled Daniil Medvedev, 3rd in the world, for two hours of an intense match (7-5, 6-4, 6-3) . Offensive and daring, the 20-year-old has long shaken the Russian, who had to use his famous passing shots to get by and reach the second round.

However, the French Tennis Federation cannot boast of this result, because it is not the French flag which is attached to the name of the right-hander, but that of Great Britain. Son of Loïc Féry, CEO of Chenavari Investment Managers and President of the Football Club of Lorient, the Franco-British grew up a few kilometers from Wimbledon. Arrived at the age of six months after being born in Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine), he acquired nationality and chose to wear the same colors as Andy Murray or Cameron Norrie.

However, both of her parents are French. His mother, Olivia Féry, born Gravereaux, even wore the tricolor colors on the world circuit, reaching the 225th place in the world. But being a pure product of the English federation, he chose to represent it during tournaments. “The English federation supported me a lot financially and it was more worth it to be English”, he assured RMC Sport.

This choice has in any case allowed him to take part in Wimbledon three times. In 2021, he reached the final round of qualifying, leading two sets to nil against Tallon Griekspoor before giving in after a terrible fifth set. Last year, he returned to the charge, this time losing in the second round. This year was the good one, and the invitation granted to him for two years for the qualifications turned into a wild card for the final table.

It must be said that his current ranking, 391st in the world, does not allow him to register directly for the Grand Slams. Enrolled at Stanford University in the United States, Arthur Féry plays most of the year on the American university circuit and does not take points to progress in the standings. Before this season on grass, he had only played one tournament, the Malibu Future, with a title at stake.

But it is not because he only revolves around the 400th place in the world that the Franco-British lacks qualities. Small size (1.75 m), the right-hander can still count on a big first ball, regularly slammed at more than 200 km / h. Trained on the grounds of Roehampton, Arthur Féry is a regular on the grass and perfectly masters the serve and volley, which he cheerfully used against Daniil Medvedev.

The Russian, however, remains a notch above. Specialist in fantastic, even improbable defensive shots, the 3rd in the world took advantage of his great compasses to shoot some very precious passing shots in key moments. And it is finally there that the match was played, in tense ends of sets, where the young Franco-British suffered the experience of his elder. He will not have to be ashamed of this performance, which proves his qualities already recognized across the Atlantic. Once his course is finished in the United States, he will seek the recognition he deserves by throwing himself headlong into this adventure on the world circuit. And, perhaps, by succeeding Andy Murray in the rank of the British winners at the All-England Club.