Arthur Ferry: The British No. 1 can improve ahead of the US Open with his American hard-court swing, according to Tim Henman. tennis news

British No 1 Arthur Ferry will switch to American hard-court swings where he can improve ahead of the US Open – but it’s “exciting”, says Tim Henman.

of the wild card Surprise in Wimbledon semi-finals injected a much-needed shot of positivity and gave British fans a new name to follow at the Grand Slams – starting at the US Open in New York – live on Sky Sports Tennis from August 30.

The challenge now for the 24-year-old is to adapt to his new position in the game and the anonymity and freedom that comes with it.

The 23-year-old, who rose from No 114 to 36 in the world, was the last player standing in an otherwise disappointing tournament for the host nation, but he became only the fifth Briton this century to reach the All England Club in week two.

Ferry has direct entry into a Masters event for the first time in Cincinnati – Aug. 13-23 – before making his debut at Flushing Meadows before appearing at the Winston-Salem Open from Aug. 23-29.

Speaking at Royal Birkdale ahead of The Open, Henman called Ferry’s dream run at the All England Club “amazing” and “transformational for his career and his life”.

The former British No 1 said: “He started at 185 in the world, qualified in Melbourne and then continued to improve his ranking – then to get a wild card at 114th at Wimbledon and win five matches going into the semi-finals was an incredible performance – and I think it also shows the great gap between these top players.

“If you’re in the top 250 in the world, you’re a very good player and you’ve got a chance to beat anybody on your day, for him now to be 36 in the other Grand Slams and Masters 1000 in the world is huge, so he’s got a chance to really plan his schedule going forward.”

The July 20 ranking is used for the main draw of the US Open, which means Ferry has no time to improve on his current ranking of No. 36, but some withdrawals could help move him into a seeding position, which would be a big improvement.

“I mean it’s interesting that actually the ranking points come after Wimbledon and then the entries close for six weeks so I think the first tournament he’ll take advantage of is Cincinnati,” Henman explained.

The 2004 US Open semifinalist also believes that Ferry will only improve his overall ability to compete against top-level opponents.

“He still has a lot of areas he can improve in his game and I think that’s exciting when you know you’re young,” Henman said. “I can’t wait to see him. We need those British players at the top of their game and yes he’s got a great opportunity.

“We needed it because those first few days were pretty rough for British tennis, but it’s great to see Arthur playing so well and if Emma (Raducanu) and Jack (Draper) can get back fit, then there’s Katie Boulter, Cam Norrie, while Jan Choinski has just broken into the top 100 – he’s now looking to make history like the British 75 at the biggest event in the world.”

Ferry ready for ‘attention’ like Radukanu after Wimbledon run

Ferry admits He may be immersed in the media spotlight just like Radukanu His fairytale run at Wimbledon followed.

“Yeah, already during the tournament I was thinking a little bit about life afterwards and how I’m going to handle it because we’ve seen it with people who have broken down like that before,” Ferry said. Sky News’ Jackie Beltrao.

“Obviously with Emma, ​​Emma won a Slam and I didn’t but there was still a lot of media attention.

“It’s going to be really important to manage — expectations from me and the public as well.”

The Brit is set for more time in the media spotlight as she competes against tennis’ top players.

“It means I can play the top players week in week out and compare myself to them and continue to work on my tennis,” Ferry said.

“I’m going to get used to the full life of the tour with more media attention and all that but I think I’m ready for it.

“It’s going to be the first one besides playing the US Open. I didn’t even play the qualifiers last year so it’s going to be a great experience.”

He’s also comfortable with the prospect of being among the top-32 picks for Flushing Meadows.

“I could already be there (top 32) if I’m lucky, with a few withdrawals,” Ferry said.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to contribute to the rankings until the list for the US Open is out, because it’s going to be out soon.

“Being seeded obviously protects you a little bit from the top guys, but this is my first main draw that I’ve directly qualified for my ranking so I’m going to take it as it goes.”

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