Arthur Fery insists he feels “no added pressure” as the new British No 1 prepares to return to action this weekend for the first time since his memorable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Fery became only the fifth British player to make the last four of the men’s singles at Wimbledon in the Open era and has surged into the top 40 in the ATP rankings, have been ended 2025 in 198th.
The 23-year-old skipped the Canadian Open to ensure he is rested but will be back this weekend at the ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati, live on Sky Sports Tennis.
“It’s obviously a privilege to be to No 1 in in Britain. I’m not gonna put any added pressure on myself,” Fery told Sky Sports.
“I’m just going to take every match as it comes, keep working hard day in, day out, both in practice and at tournaments, and see where that takes me. That’s what I’ve been doing this year and it’s worked well so far, so I’m just going to keep going in the same direction.”
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Fery will look to ensure he is seeded at the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, which begins on August 30, by having a strong run in Cincinnati.
He has been training in London since Wimbledon but flew to Ohio earlier this week to acclimatise to the conditions, with Fery also saying fellow players have been welcoming as he adjusts to his sudden rise.
“All the way through the fortnight, it was just incredible to have so much support. I’d never had that amount of people and fans behind me, so that was really special,” he said.
“Now here in in Cincinnati, playing my second Masters 1000 main draw, I’m really looking forward to playing all these tough events this year.”
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Draper could meet Djokovic in Cincinnati
Jack Draper has been given a wild card for the Cincinnati Open and could meet Novak Djokovic in the third round of the tournament.
Draper will play rising Spanish star Martin Landeluce in the first round before facing Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi. Should Draper win those two matches, he could meet Djokovic next week.
However, the 24-year-old will likely simply hope he is fit for multiple matches after he was in tears during his defeat last week to Terence Atmane in the first round of the Canadian Open. It was unclear whether that was related to his recent arm injury recurring.
Cameron Norrie will face Croatia’s Dino Prizmic while Jan Choinski goes up against Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante and Fery has a bye to the second round since he is seeded.
Katie Boulter is the only Brit in the women’s draw and she will play USA’s Katie Volynets.
Watch the Cincinnati Open from August 13 until August 24 with the US Open starting on August 30, all live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app.