After Jack Draper’s withdrawal, Arthur Fery carried the weight of home expectations into his opening-round clash against Damir Džumhur. The Briton even responded with a commanding 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory, becoming the only British man to reach the second round at Wimbledon until now. However, the match wasn’t ended without drama, as the Bosnian’s mid-match complaint prompted the Briton to put in his earplugs.

The bizarre moment of the opening round match came during the second set. The 34-year-old was serving while leading by a break at 2-1. At 15-30, the Briton returned the serve deep. The Bosnian international then sliced a backhand into the net, gifting the 23-year-old two break points. However, instead of preparing for the next point, the veteran ace walked toward the net with his arms stretched out. 

The former world No. 23 claimed his serve had clipped the tape at the top of the net. According to the world No. 104, the point should have been stopped and called as a “let”. The disagreement continued for several moments, and to stay calm, Fery even put on a pair of headphones to block out Dzumhur’s repeated complaints.

Even before that happened, the Bosnian directed his frustration toward Fery. “It was a let. You played the point, you didn’t stop, huh? Wait, wait. You won the point. Just be honest. I don’t care what he [the umpire] is saying,” the 34-year-old said.

The British ace responded by explaining, “I didn’t stop, I didn’t hear a let. I thought you [the umpire] had heard it.”

Dzumhur then shifted his anger toward the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth. “Did you see the let? Did you hear the let? So you are that bad that you cannot hear, and everybody heard? I am saying you are bad. You made the mistake. He [Fery] stopped.”

However, the tension in the court never stopped. Dzumhur even called match referee James Garner to continue his complaint about umpire Allensworth. 

“It’s very tough to play when there’s someone who cannot do his job. I’m sure you are aware of this. He has nothing to worry about apart from this [the let]. I don’t know what to say, he has one thing to do and he can’t do it good,” Dzumhur explained.

And while that discussion continued, the match also saw blood on the court, adding yet another dramatic twist.

Arthur Fery suffered a nosebleed during the dramatic opening-round clash

Apart from all the drama between Damir Džumhur, Fery and the chair umpire, the match also saw an unexpected medical issue. As Arthur Fery was set to serve in the third game of the third set, he suddenly noticed he was suffering from a nosebleed. 

The world No. 114 quickly placed a tissue inside his nose as Greg Allensworth then called for the physio to assist.

Later, the 23-year-old Briton took a medical timeout so the issue could be treated. However, once play resumed after six minutes, Fery did not appear to be affected by the problem. 

“It happens to me quite often. Honestly, not that difficult because I’m used to it,” Fery even said in the post-match interview.

The British hope at SW19 was then asked whether the nosebleeds could be linked to stress. “Yeah, it could be. I don’t really know why it happens. Maybe nerves or sometimes tiredness or the heat. I don’t know. But, it happens here and there,” he added.

Now safely through to the second round, the Briton can look back on a match that seemed to have everything. As the first British man to reach the second round, Fery now carries the hopes of the home crowd at the All-England Club.