The Fery-Tale -- Federer Trivia -- Keep Your Eye On The... Ball?
A look at Dimitrov's slice
Good morning. Some day I’ll sneak into the Royal Box and play David Beckham in rock-paper-scissors. Loser buys the strawberries and cream. Now let’s dive in.
— Daniel Park
Wimbledon
The Fery-Tale
Whatever you do, don’t wake Arthur Fery up.
“I grew up five minutes from here”, said the 23-year old Brit, who came into the tournament ranked 114 in the world, and gained entry with a wildcard.
Improbably, Fery has made a dream run into the quarters of his neighborhood slam. But just how unlikely is this?
Think Cape Verde.
In the third round, Fery was down 2 sets to 1 and a double break against Bergs. At one point, Polymarket put Bergs as a 99% favorite to win the match.
And again in the fourth round, Fery was down 2-to-1 and a break against sexiest-player-on-tour Dimitrov. And yet, Fery found a way to win both times, setting himself up for the biggest match of his life: playing for a spot in the semis of Wimbledon.
Opponent? Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli.
Prediction? My head says Cobolli. My heart says Fery.
Let’s Get Technical
Now that you know just how unlikely and incredible Fery’s run has been, let’s talk about his game for a changeover. He’s definitely had lady luck on his side this week, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s also a damn fine player.
In particular, Fery’s backhand is exceptional on grass. Why? Because his takeback is both:
Very short
Very low
The thing to notice in the above shot is that Fery’s hands are far to the left side of his body as he turns for this backhand. That means his hands don’t have to go very far to reach contact. Another reference: think of Kyrgios’ backhand.
Compare that to someone like Zverev, who has a very long and high take-back. His hands are directly behind his body (like a baseball swing), so they have to travel much further to get to contact.
In plain English: Fery’s takeback is great on grass because the surface is so fast. He makes clean contact more often, and has an easier time absorbing pace. A recipe for success on the lawns.
In British English: Fery’s backhand is the fish, grass is the chips
There’s no natural transition from an awful dad joke. So let’s just get to the final set:
A drill for you
Writing this piece reminded me of a drill my coaches made us do a lot in juniors. It’s called running. While Fery’s swing is naturally short, you can also develop the ability to shorten your swing for when someone hits a deep, fast ball at you.
Instructions: Stand just inside the baseline. Rally with your partner up the middle, but here’s the rule. You can’t let both feet get behind the baseline.
Why: You are basically taking time away from yourself. So you’re forced to shorten up your swing and figure out how to hit a high quality ball.
Note: this is really hard, and you will end up volleying a few shots from the baseline. That’s fine. I also guarantee that you’ll think I hate this drill, Daniel is an idiot at one point.
The latter might be true, but I’m willing to bet that Arthur Fery has put in his 10,000 hours of the drill.
And he’d do 10,000 more if it meant making the Wimbledon Semis.
Trivia
Before Federer won 5 straight Wimbledon titles, he lost first round in 2002. Who beat him that year, and by doing so, woke up the beast?
A. Andre Agassi
B. Mario Ancic
C. Mikhail Youzhny
D. David Nalbandian
Find out at the bottom!
Fashion
Somewhere in London, a Karate master sits on a park bench devastated that his gi is gone. But in a different part of London, Naomi Osaka is using it to chop her opponents left and right. The 4-time slam champ, now known for her eye-catching slam entrances, is paying tribute to her nation with the all-white Kimono — and doing them proud by making a deep run at Wimby. If she wins the tourney, that thing is gonna go for a crazy amount at auction.
Photo of the Week
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
Reporter: “Do you look at the ball at contact?”
Hurkacz: “What ball?”
If you’re actually curious about this — I’m guessing it’s just a quirk, not intentional.
Around the Net
Some of the best tennis content I found on the internet this week…
🪢 “Imagine playing the 4th round of a Masters 1000, with a string you’ve never played with before.” Insane story from rising star Alexander Blockx
🥵 Still think tennis is a cute little country club sport? Try doing this for 3-5 hours. I’m exhausted just watching.
🤤 A great look at how low Dimitrov’s slice stays on grass. Best comment: “It’s like watching the Mona Lisa get painted”
Thank for reading!
Daniel 🤠
Answer
B. Mario Ancic
Don’t sleep on Ancic. The 6’5” Croat was the Junior No. 1 in 2001, and rose to No. 7 in the world just a few years later. He’s in a small group of players that ever beat Fed at Wimbledon.