Arthur Fery was at the centre of a Wimbledon storm after opponent Damir Dzumhur accused the British player of being dishonest and not a good person.
Fery became the second home winner of the opening round when he fought back from a set and 2-0 down to defeat Bosnian veteran Dzumhur 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-1.
The contest turned on an incident in the third game of the second set when Dzumhur thought his serve had caught the tape but umpire Greg Allensworth did not call a let and Fery won the point.
Dzumhur marched to the net to confront Fery over whether he had hesitated before returning, which the British player denied, earning a lengthy stare down the court from the Bosnian.
“I would do it different,” Dzumhur said. “I wouldn’t be able to play knowing that I did something that maybe is not true.
“I felt like he stopped, nobody called let. I didn’t ask him to replay but just to be honest, because I would do that. Obviously we are not all the same.”
Dzumhur continued to take his ire out on Allensworth, who eventually lost patience and gave a warning to the 34-year-old, who then demanded to see the supervisor.
“I don’t like it when things are not fair,” added Dzumhur. “I think it was a little bit too much from me. I was repeating but they are not thinking about what’s happening with us.
“As the chair umpire, sometimes you have to, not help the player, but not to put oil on the fire, because doing this, you just make me more angry.”
“Now, if you ask me how is Arthur, I probably would say, ‘maybe he’s a good person out of the court, but on the court, no’.”
Fery was exasperated with the whole thing and put ear plugs in while Dzumhur complained to the umpire, with the Bosnian also unhappy about the British number three’s remark to him at the change of ends, which earned Fery a rebuke from the official.
Dzumhur continued: “I think Arthur said: ‘Why are you looking at me?’ So I can’t even look at you? Okay, that’s good. After the match, I told him well done for the game, he was playing better than me.
“I will never say something that is not true. Now, if you ask me how is Arthur, I probably would say, ‘maybe he’s a good person out of the court, but on the court, no’.”
WIMBLEDON LIVE SCORING AND RESULTS
Fery fired back, accusing Dzumhur of deliberately stirring up trouble – although it certainly did not help the Bosnian, who won only three out of 21 games following the incident.
“It was expected, to be honest,” said 23-year-old Fery, who is through to the second round for a second straight year.
“He does that with everyone. I guess I was just ready for it before the match. 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 umpire and then is trying to speak to me about it. But there is nothing to really speak about. Just trying to get the other player involved for no reason.”
The flashpoint overshadowed another excellent victory for Fery, who will fancy his chances of going further with Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen up next after he upset fourth seed Ben Shelton.
Czech dark horse Jakub Mensik survived a huge scare as the 15th seed needed five sets to subdue British wildcard Toby Samuel in a fierce first-round fight.
The 20-year-old French Open semi-finalist looked out on his feet near the end of a gripping contest but had just enough in the tank to carve out a 5-7 6-3 6-3 3-6 7-6(7) victory.
Stan Wawrinka (above) made his final Wimbledon appearance in a 6-7(7) 7-6(16) 7-6(7) 7-6(5) defeat by Matteo Berrettini in the first round, leaving to warm applause that reflected the admiration the Swiss has earned over the years.
The 41-year-old, who made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the Australian Open by winning the 2014 title before adding trophies at the French Open and the US Open in subsequent years, is set to end his storied playing career at the end of 2026.
He delighted fans with a run to the Melbourne third round this year, before an opening defeat in Paris, and there was to be no long farewell for the wildcard in London as 2021 runner-up Berrettini advanced in four hours and 20 minutes.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to something you love so much,” an emotional Wawrinka said after the physically draining match on Court One.
“I don’t want to retire, but I know it’s time.”
Berrettini takes on Frenchman Arthur Fils next.
Additional reporting: Reuters