Brit resorts to earplugs as Wimbledon opponent argues with umpire
WIMBLEDON — You are never too old to witness a Wimbledon first and British wild card Arthur Fery’s use of earplugs to drown out his opponent’s complaints certainly felt like a novel approach on Tuesday.
Fery became the first British male to advance to the second round at SW19, and he arrived prepared for his match with Damir Dzumhur, knowing the Bosnian world No 105 was a vocal player on the circuit.
The main flashpoints occurred in the second set, after Dzumhur had taken the first, over a couple of lets that umpire Gregory Allensworth did not call.
“it was expected, to be honest,” Fery said afterwards. “He [Dzumhur] does that with everyone. 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 he 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.”
Asked about one changeover where Dzumhur confronted him, Fery said: “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… speaking to the other player.
“He was just staring at me. I said, ‘Well, stop staring at me,’ something along those lines, but 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.”
Fery said he has previously used earplugs on court earlier this year and now packs them in his bag, along with an eye mask.
“I find it helpful,” he added. “I don’t use them every match. It helps me not just for the opponent, but just in general for the crowd, and keeps me in my zone.”
Two incidents in the second set left Dzumhur arguing with Fery, Allensworth and the match referee match referee Jake Garner.
“Did you see the let? Did you hear the let? So you are that bad that you cannot hear, and everybody heard? I am saying you are bad. You made the mistake. He stopped,” Dzumhur could be heard saying to Allensworth.
After another let call on his own serve was not called towards the end of the second set, initially Dzumhur looked at Fery and said: “You know it’s let,” to which the Briton replied: “I have to play, if I stop I lose the point anyway.”
Dzumhur went on to speak to referee Garner behind Allensworth, saying: “Do you understand? We are the ones playing, he’s doing the mistakes. You’ve seen what happened.”
After going on to lose that second set 6-2, Dzumhur resumed his row, asking for Allensworth to be replaced.
“Can we change him somehow, please?” Dzumhur said. “It’s very tough to play with someone who doesn’t do his job good. Very tough to play, I have to tell you.
“I am sure you are aware of it, I don’t know if you play tennis or not, I don’t know how big this is for every player, but here they have to be at the highest level.
“He has nothing to worry about. Literally nothing. The out, the foot fault, everything is called. I don’t what to say, just one thing, and that one thing you cannot do good. Come on. It would be the same if I come to [the] tennis court and I don’t know how to hit any of the shots. That’s it.”
At this point, the camera cut to Fery with orange earplugs in, channeling out the distraction occurring on the other side of the umpire’s chair.
Fery went on to advance in four sets, 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-1, and after a calamitous Monday saw 10 Brits lose and Jack Draper withdraw, he was joined by compatriots Katie Swan and Jacob Fearnley in making the next round on Tuesday.
Fery’s mother Olivia was a professional tennis player, while his father Loic is the owner of French football club FC Lorient.
This was just Fery’s second win at Wimbledon, having advanced to the second round last year. He faces qualifier Otto Virtanen, who beat fourth seed Ben Shelton, for a spot in the third round.