Key Takeaways
- Tim Henman commended Arthur Fery’s conduct as an alternate at the Laver Cup, stating: “Well, you’d have to ask him that, but from where I’ve sat, he’s been a brilliant part of the team.”
- Henman highlighted Fery’s previous 12 months, noting his “life-changing performance at Wimbledon, getting to the semifinals” before losing to Alexander Zverev.
- Discussing doubles strategy and Carlos Alcaraz’s schedule, Henman explained that “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.”
Tim Henman praises Arthur Fery’s impact behind the scenes
Former British number 1 Tim Henman offered glowing praise for compatriot Arthur Fery following his involvement with Team Europe at the Laver Cup in London. The 24-year-old was named as an alternate for the competition at The O2, marking his return to an ATP environment after suffering an opening-round exit against Lorenzo Musetti at the US Open, which he followed by helping Great Britain defeat Ecuador to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals.
Assessing how the British player integrated with the squad, Henman noted the high level of commitment shown throughout the week. “Well, you’d have to ask him that, but from where I’ve sat, he’s been a brilliant part of the team,” Henman explained. “He’s been out on the practice court hitting, working on his own game, but hitting with the rest of the guys.”
Comparison table
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Fery, who holds the status of British number 1 ahead of Cameron Norrie in second, Jan Choinski in third, and an injury-hampered Jack Draper in sixth, enjoyed a breakthrough run to the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier in the year before losing to French Open champion Alexander Zverev. Henman emphasized the value of such exposure alongside the world elite.
“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,” Henman said. “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.”
Laver Cup doubles dominance and tactical shifts
Beyond Fery’s role as a practice partner and alternate, Henman analyzed Team Europe’s strong doubles campaign, culminating in Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik defeating Team World’s Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz on day 3. Henman reflected on how the modern game has altered doubles tactics compared to earlier eras.
“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,” Henman observed. “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.”
Henman detailed the selection rationale on the final day, noting physical management and workload considerations across the roster. “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,” he remarked. “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.”
The strategy paid off, complementing opening-day doubles victories by Carlos Alcaraz and Mensik against Fritz and Alexander Bublik, as well as day 2 wins from Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev over Bublik and Brandon Nakashima. “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,” Henman concluded. “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.” Europe ultimately secured the Laver Cup trophy with a 13-5 triumph over Team World.
Arthur Fery in 2026
Ranked world no.36, Fery played his last match on the 19th of September when he defeated world no.293 Alvaro Guillen Meza 7-5 6-0 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
This season Arthur owns a 31-16 match record. Arthur Fery’s best accomplishment of the present year was reaching the semifinal in Salem.
