Even the most enchanting fairytale is liable to turn ugly when the hero runs into a hungry giant.
Arthur Fery, the 5ft 9in wildcard, has captivated the nation with his run to these Wimbledon semi-finals but on Friday lunchtime he faced Alexander Zverev, and the 6ft 6in German gobbled him up.
During a narrow first set we had hope that David could beat Goliath. But that Biblical tale is the exception that proves the rule and by the end Zverev was flinging Fery around the court like a rag doll.
The 29-year-old won 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 and the French Open champion will play in his first Wimbledon final on Sunday, where he will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.
Fery this fortnight has played with the tranquility of a Buddhist monk; moved with the grace of a prima ballerina. But he was powerless against the most lethal serve in the world, backed as it is by such a solid all-round game.
‘This Grand Slam has always been the one I’ve struggled with most and all of a sudden I’m in the final of Wimbledon,’ said Zverev on court. ‘Credit to Arthur. Unbelievable player, he’s going to be a senior citizen on our tour because I think he is going to play 15 plus years.’
Arthur Fery’s fairytale Wimbledon run came to an end as he was beaten by Alexander Zverev
German star Zverev proved to be too strong for the Brit despite his relentless efforts
Zverev’s quality ultimately told as Fery went down 6-7, 2-6, 4-6 in this semi-final clash
He then buttered up the Wimbledon patrons: ‘99.99 per cent of the stadium wanted Arthur to win but it was still such an incredible atmosphere with such a fair crowd. A lot of stadiums in the world can learn from this crowd.’
To give a sense of the grandeur and magnitude of this occasion, only two British men had reached the Wimbledon singles final since the First World War: one has a statue at the All England Club already, and the likeness of the other is being moulded in clay as we speak.
That was the weight of history upon Fery’s 23-year-old shoulders as he attempted to join Fred Perry and Andy Murray on the grandest stage in British sport.
Had he been checking social media – which he isn’t – Fery would have awoken to a video message of good luck from England footballers Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Dan Burn.
There was sporting royalty in the Royal Box, too – and how appropriate to see cricketers Brian Lara, 5ft 8in, and the Little Master himself, 5ft 5in Sachin Tendulkar. It was as if the small men of sport had come to cheer on one of their own. Presumably only participation in the World Cup prevented Lionel Messi from being there, also.
Fery was attempting to become the shortest man since 5ft 7in Aussie genius Ken Rosewall in 1974 to reach the Wimbledon final, and even in defeat his run here has given hope to the little guy.
Not in an economic sense of course – with a family fortune of around £300million this is no rags to riches – but in terms of stature. He has also saved British tennis from a reckoning, in a tournament which began with 10 home defeats out of 10 on the opening day.
For all Fery’s unfamiliarity with such an occasion, this was uncharted territory for Zverev as well. In nine previous visits to the All England Club the No2 seed had not progressed beyond the fourth round.
And he started hesitantly. Fery was making him stoop down to pick up low balls, and exposing his rather hamfisted net game.
Fery was supported by many celebrities on Friday, including actor Benedict Cumberbatch
Fery’s father Loic (centre) also cheered him on on Centre Court in the searing London heat
But a poor game from the wildcard gave Zverev an early break, then at 3-1 the match came to life. First, Fery was convinced that a Zverev serve had clipped the top of the net, and so should be replayed. ‘The net. Everyone heard that,’ he protested to umpire Marijana Veljovic. ‘You can hear it from the back row over there.’ But these days the lets are called by the machines so no dice for Fery.
At 15-30 he took matters into his own hands, using his lightning feet to track down a Zverev drop volley and his velvet hands to slide the ball cross-court – a quite brilliant shot. The German, looking cumbersome by comparison, could only poke wide. When Zverev went long on the next point to give back the break of serve, Centre Court erupted. After a quiet start, Fery had brought the crowd into play.
There was a psychological dimension, too, in Fery breaching the citadel of the Zverev serve so early. As they say in Predator: ‘If it bleeds we can kill it.’
After that flurry of excitement we progressed smoothly to a tiebreak. Alas, Fery double faulted on his first service point, then missed a forehand wide. Zverev greedily accepted those gifts and reeled off a 7-0 whitewash.
Deeply frustrating for Fery. Zverev had started uncertainly and much of the Brit’s gameplan – bringing his opponent into the net, blocking back those big first serves – was working well. But that sloppy concession of an early break and terrible start to the tiebreak cost him.
Zverev had played a mediocre set and a flawless tiebreak and that is what the big boys do. Having started so hesitantly, the claiming of the opening set was always likely to free Zverev up and so it proved.
There was a huge element of misfortune as Fery went an early break down in the second set. At 0-30, Zverev mishit a return and as Fery closed in to put it away a ball boy inexplicably darted towards the ball, so the point had to be replayed – whereupon Zverev crushed a forehand return.
The ball kids at this stage are the best of the bunch, and Fery, to his great credit, did not kick up a fuss – the ballboy will have felt awful as it is – but his frustration seeped out as he thought he heard another net cord in the next game. Perhaps the sound he kept mishearing was that of the ball whistling past his ears.
Zverev had never previously got past the fourth round at Wimbledon but he is now in a final
Fery received a brilliant reception from the Wimbledon crowd as he walked off court at the end
There was time in the third set for a last dose of Fery magic, a half-volley winner drawing applause from his opponent. But that defiance came after a run of 15 straight points for Zverev, who closed out the match with minimal fuss.
The big man’s grass-court game has progressed immensely and there are signs he has been freed up by finally winning his first Grand Slam in Paris last month. He has every chance of winning a second on Sunday.
As for Fery, his career is launched. When the rankings are recalibrated on Monday he will rise to 36th in the world, become the British No1 and gain entry to all the grandest events around the world. Now he must show this fortnight was no mere fairytale; he must prove he can survive on a consistent basis in the land of the giants.
