Alexander Zverev Singkirkan Arthur Fery dari Wimbledon 2026

Petenis Inggris Arthur Fery gagal melaju ke babak final turnamen Grand Slam Wimbledon 2026 setelah ditundukkan oleh unggulan kedua, Alexander Zverev, dalam pertandingan babak semifinal di London pada Jumat, 10 Juli 2026.

Fery menelan kekalahan tiga set langsung dengan skor akhir 7-6(0), 6-2, dan 6-4 dari Zverev. Kendati langkahnya terhenti di semifinal, performa petenis berusia 23 tahun tersebut sepanjang turnamen mendapat perhatian luas dari para pengamat tenis dunia.

Mantan petenis Inggris Tim Henman dan juara Grand Slam delapan kali Andre Agassi memberikan ulasan langsung melalui saluran BBC terkait kendala yang dihadapi Fery saat menghadapi kekuatan servis serta dominasi permainan Zverev.

"We all understood it was going to be a tall order for Fery," kata Henman, Mantan Petenis Inggris.

Henman menilai Fery sudah mencoba berbagai variasi permainan sejak gim pertama, namun kekuatan servis pertama Zverev sangat mendominasi pertandingan tersebut.

"And Fery, as hard as he tried and wanted to give the crowd something to get their teeth stuck into, he was just a different class today and that is a reflection of where he is at with his game having won his first Grand Slam. He has taken that confidence on to grass courts." lanjut Henman.

Sementara itu, Andre Agassi memberikan pujian terhadap pergerakan kaki dan pukulan backhand yang ditunjukkan oleh Fery selama turnamen berlangsung.

"I think it’s been a great, fantastic few weeks and credit to the folks here for giving him a wildcard." ujar Agassi, Juara Grand Slam Delapan Kali.

Agassi mengagumi bakat serta kelincahan Fery di lapangan, terutama efektivitas pukulan slice serta backhand miliknya yang mampu mengarahkan bola ke berbagai sudut lapangan.

"He is such a talented player. He moves so well, I guess it’s hard to be smaller and slow, but he moves unbelievably. I love his backhand, he can go through the court in both directions. He has great feel and great hands with the slice." tambah Agassi.

Namun, Agassi menyoroti kelemahan pukulan forehand Fery yang terlalu banyak menghasilkan rotasi bola tinggi, sehingga menjadi santapan empuk bagi gaya permainan agresif Zverev.

"The problem I see with the match up today is that his forehand tends to be more of a ball with rotation on it and sits up, which is great for Zverev, who likes to hook his ball across. Zverev is just going to eat all day on that shot." kata Agassi.

Tantangan lain bagi Fery yang bertubuh lebih pendek adalah mengembalikan servis bertenaga dan akurat milik Zverev yang berada dalam performa terbaiknya.

"With his height returning is an interesting proposition because you are kind of damned if you do or damned if you don’t. You want to back up and give yourself time but you don’t really have the leverage or the time. It’s not really an option because Zverev can hit his spots with pace and then you are behind and then stepping up is also dangerous because the speed of the serve was at its full glory." jelas Agassi.

Meski demikian, Agassi mengapresiasi daya juang Fery yang selalu memicu pertempuran sengit pada setiap poin netral di lapangan.

"But he is still making all the neutral points a battle. The problem is most of the neutral points were played on his serve. He is a fighter though and I like his chances of not just having a great two weeks but having one heck of a career." pungkas Agassi.

Berkat pencapaian hingga semifinal Wimbledon ini, peringkat dunia Arthur Fery melonjak 78 posisi ke peringkat 36 dunia sekaligus menjadikannya petenis nomor satu Inggris yang baru. Posisi baru ini memberikan keuntungan bagi Fery untuk langsung masuk ke babak utama turnamen besar seperti US Open tanpa melalui kualifikasi.