US Open: Britain's Arthur Fery admits he still has plenty to work on after his New York debut is cut short
Arthur Fery admits he still has plenty to work on in his game to take on the best players in the world following his first-round exit in New York; watch the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Wednesday 2 September 2026 06:28, UK
Britain's Arthur Fery said he now knows what he has to work on after his US Open debut was cut short on Tuesday.
His hopes of making a splash in New York were ended in the first round after a straight-sets defeat by Lorenzo Musetti.
The 24-year-old had been riding the crest of a wave since his historic run to the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard earlier this summer.
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He reached his first ATP final at the Winston-Salem Open last week and arrived at Flushing Meadows with high hopes of another deep run at the Grand Slam.
But he ran aground against Italian 13th seed Musetti in a straight-sets loss on Grandstand Stadium.
It was a comprehensive defeat, but a useful gauge for Fery who has risen from outside the top 200 a year ago to No 33 in the world.
"I know what I have to work on," he said. "I got a lot of ideas coming straight off the court of what I have to work on to do better.
"My serve really let me down today, which is not usually the case, but I've been struggling a little bit to find my rhythm on the serve.
"Today was particularly a struggle, but definitely playing guys at that level, it's tough and the margins are small."
Fery, now the British No 1, was close to being seeded at Flushing Meadows, meaning he would have avoided a player of Musetti's class in the early stages.
He admitted he was under-prepared due to his run in North Carolina last week, but said he would not have done things differently.
"The Grand Slams are the biggest tournaments and everyone has their eye on them." he added. "At the same time, would I sign for these past two weeks? Probably, to be honest.
"It's a lot of ranking points, it's a first ATP final, so it's good. Even though it meant that my preparation for the US Open was not great."
'Learning curve for Fery'
Sky Sports Tennis' Tim Henman said Fery will take "an enormous amount" from his defeat and will gain vital experience.
The former British No 1 said: "What he lacks right now is experience at the highest level. He's 33 in the world and hasn't played a great deal of tennis outside the UK at this level.
"To come up against Musetti, who is a world-class player, has been five in the world and reached semi-finals of Grand Slams, provides clear evidence of what he needs to work on."
Asked where Fery can improve his game, Henman said: "He's got to continue to give himself opportunities to finish points at the net.
"His forehand side, in these types of [hot] conditions, he can perhaps take the ball a bit earlier and get more penetration through the court.
"He can work on that first serve to get a bit more pace, which is not easy because he's not the tallest of players, but then he's got to improve that accuracy."
Robson: Musetti too good for Fery
Laura Robson said: "Musetti was too good. He had that extra gear to go to with his pace off the racquet and his ability to open up the lines made such a big difference.
"Fery will be a little disappointed that he wasn't able to hang in that first set. That could have changed the course of the match.
"But he came up against such a good opponent."
Broady not expecting Fery to plateau yet
With Fery set to take part in all the big events - including the remaining Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris, former player Naomi Broady expects him to keep improving.
"He's proven himself at the ATP 250 level but now people will start watching him and it becomes a cat and mouse of can he stay ahead of that," said Broady.
"I wouldn't expect him to plateau and the next few months will be exciting. His ranking can still skyrocket."
The US Open is live on Sky Sports from August 30. Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App. You can also watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September live on Sky Sports.
