Arthur Fery's unexpected run at Wimbledon came to an end as he lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. The British wildcard had become the fifth British home player in the open era to make the last four at the All England Club.
Fery's impressive performance had him projected to be inside the world's top 40, but ultimately saw his fairy tale run come to a halt in straight sets. The 24-year-old, who was ranked 114th in the world before the tournament, faced a tall order up against the reigning French Open champion.
The Brit was left fuming after a controversial decision was made during the first set. Fery was convinced that a serve by Zverev had clipped the net, but umpire Marijana Veljovic denied hearing the ball touch the net. Fery approached Veljovic to protest the decision, but his complaint fell on deaf ears.
Fery continued to vent at the umpire at the changeover, questioning why there was no technology to help umpires with let calls. The Brit suggested that a machine could be used to make the calls, but Veljovic stood by her decision.
Former British No1 Tim Henman shared Fery's frustrations, calling it "mad" that Wimbledon had not found an alternative to let calls. Henman noted that the technology used in the past to handle let calls had been done away with due to questions over its reliability.
Remarkably, another incident occurred in the second set, with Fery throwing his arms in the air as another suspected let call was not given. Umpire Veljovic again stuck by her decision, asserting that the microphone and camera had picked up the sound, but that the ball had not touched the net.
Fery's hope eventually faded as he was defeated 7-6 6-2 6-4 in just over two hours. Zverev will take on either Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final, but was full of praise for Fery after his impressive run to the final four.
