Britain’s Arthur Fery produces tenacious display fit for a princess at Wimbledon

Hello and welcome to coverage from Wimbledon as Arthur Fery plays Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen.

Frey earned his place in the second round after beating Bosnian opponent Damir Dzumhur ‌3-6, 6-2, ​6-2, 6-1. The match ⁠was overshadowed by Fery being called dishonest by Dzumhur.

But Fery, one of 12 British wildcards, kept his cool and even used earplugs while Dzumhur complained to the umpire. 

“It was expected, to be honest,” said Fery, who is through to the second round for a second straight year. “He does that with everyone. I guess I was just ready for it before the match. 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.

“He obviously wants to make a problem with the umpire and then is trying to speak to me about it. But there is nothing to really speak about. Just trying to get the other player involved for no reason.”

Fery is now on the verge of breaking into the top 100 after also reaching the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club earlier this month.

The British No 3 is the higher-ranked player but Virtanen has also shone on grass this summer and knocked out fourth seed Ben Shelton in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

“It’s a surprise, definitely,” said Fery. “But it’s an opportunity. He’s obviously a great grass-court player.”

Fery grew up five minutes from Wimbledon and would often visit the tournament as a child. He is the heir to an estimated £275m fortune thanks to his father, Loïc Fery, a hedge fund manager and president of Brittany-based Ligue 1 club FC Lorient.