Tim Henman has welcomed Arthur Fery as a “brilliant” addition to Team Europe at the Laver Cup.
Fery was an alternate at this year’s Laver Cup, where Europe welcomed Team World to The O2 in London. He was appearing at his first ATP event since the US Open, where he lost in the first round to Lorenzo Musetti. Immediately after that, however, he helped Great Britain reach the Davis Cup Finals after a qualifying victory over Ecuador.
Fery has stayed in London for the Laver Cup, where he has just drawn high praise from his fellow Briton Henman. He is the current British number one, ahead of Cameron Norrie in second and Jan Choinski in third, with injuries forcing Jack Draper down to sixth.
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Tim Henman praises ‘brilliant’ Arthur Fery at the Laver Cup
Speaking to the media after the first match on day three of the Laver Cup, Henman was asked how much Fery has embraced the experience. The former British number one said: “Well, you’d have to ask him that, but from where I’ve sat, he’s been a brilliant part of the team. He’s been out on the practice court hitting, working on his own game, but hitting with the rest of the guys.
“When you think about his last 12 months, where he’s come from and obviously life-changing performance at Wimbledon, getting to the semifinals, to be around these very, very top players, it’s such a good experience. I’m sure he’s learnt a lot. He’s been involved in everything, and hopefully this will be another motivating factor to keep putting the hard work in and keep improving his rankings and be part of the European Laver Cup team in LA.”
It will indeed be another fantastic experience for 24-year-old Fery, who really caught the eye at Wimbledon this year. He enjoyed a dream run on home soil at the All England Club, where he was beaten only by French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Tim Henman suggests doubles tennis has changed
Henman was also tasked with discussing team selection at the Laver Cup, where Team Europe dominated the doubles matches. Speaking after Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik beat Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz on day three, he said: “Yeah, I think that’s also a reflection of how the game of doubles has changed. Before, it was so much serve-and-volley-oriented, you get to the net at every opportunity.
“But the way the players serve and how strong they are from the back of the court, it gives you a lot more options. I think that’s where, when you look at our team, I would have felt pretty confident whoever was out on the court.
“We’ve had, you know, a really busy last five or six days. You take into account the physical nature of the surface and how demanding the matches are. I think certainly for Carlos [Alcaraz], having not played a lot of tennis in the last five months with just one tournament, he’s feeling it in his body, so to prioritize the singles for him.
“With Flavio and Jakub ready to go, it was a good combination. I think with Fritz and De Minaur having to play singles, as well, we would have been happy to keep them out there as long as possible. As they said, they didn’t get off to the best start, but it’s not always about how you start. It’s how you finish. These two were brilliant to bring us the three points and one match win away from victory.”
On day one, Alcaraz and Mensik beat Fritz and Alexander Bublik, while on day two Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev overcame Bublik and Brandon Nakashima. But Europe also really impressed in singles at The O2, with the hosts having just claimed the trophy with a 13-5 victory over Team World.
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