British wildcard Arthur Fery was one of four local players to advance to the next round at Wimbledon, with the aid of a secret weapon – earplugs.
While it gave British tennis fans something to smile about, Fery defeated Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6,2, 6-1, in a highly controversial first-round clash that turned on a disputed let call in the second set, leading to a meltdown from Dzumhur and Fery inserting ear plugs to block out the noise.
Damir Dzumhur argues with the chair umpire. PA Images
While up a break at 2-1 in the second and down 15-30, the Bosnian hit a serve he believed touched the net, but the chair umpire did not call a let.
Dzumhur stopped playing momentarily and threw his hands up. However, Fery continued playing, bringing up break points.
Dzumhur stormed to the net and accused Fery of not conducting himself with “honesty” for playing on.
“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.”
Fery countered: “I didn’t stop, I didn’t hear a let. I thought you [the umpire] had heard it.”
The 34-year-old Dzumhur then turned his fury to the chair umpire.
“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.”
Dzumhur repeatedly argued with the official between games and eventually summoned the match referee to the court to complain.
“It’s very tough to play when there’s someone who cannot do his job,” he said.
“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. It would be the same if I came to the tennis court and could not hit shot.”
Fery ignored his opponent but felt he needed extra help, inserting the ear plugs during a changeover.
Dzumhur imploded after the incident and totally unravelled, with the Brit winning 17 of the next 20 games to secure the win and advance to the second round.
Following a tense handshake and more arguing at the net, Fery said he “expected” Dzumhur’s antics when asked about the situation during the post-match press conference.
Arthur Fery and Damir Dzumhur in a tense exchange at the end of the match. PA Images
“It was expected, to be honest. He does that with everyone. I guess I was just ready for it before the match,” he said.
“If it’s a let, it’s a let for everyone, right, it’s not just a let for him. Whether the point carries on or not, it’s the same for both of us.
“He obviously wants to make a problem with the ref, with the umpire, and then is trying to speak to me about it. But, I mean, there is nothing to really speak about. [He is] just trying to get the other player involved for no reason.”
Fery said he always carries earplugs on match day in case he needs to block out distractions, and they came in handy on Wednesday.
“I was just trying to focus on myself and block out all the noise, and that’s the best way to deal with those kind of situations.”