Daniil Medvedev countered a home-grown serve-and-volley barrage to reach the second-round Wednesday at Wimbledon, where the third seed downed #NextGenATP Briton Arthur Fery 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 at the grass-court major.
Medvedev delivered a highly professional display against Grand Slam debutant Fery, who grew up five minutes from the All England Club, on No. 1 Court. The World No. 3 showcased pinpoint returning from deep and was ultimately too consistent for the 20-year-old Fery, converting six of his 12 break points in a match that was interrupted for 30 minutes by rain at 5-5 in the first set.
“[I was] pretty nervous,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I didn’t play here for two years and yesterday we didn’t get to play, so it was a little bit hectic for everyone, for the supporters and the players. Back at Court 1, where I have the most wins in my Wimbledon career, so probably my favourite court so far.
“[I was] really happy for the very nice welcome and especially against Arthur, who is from Great Britain.”
With his two-hour, 11-minute victory, Medvedev advanced to a second-round clash against Adrian Mannarino or Alexander Shevchenko. The 27-year-old is chasing his sixth tour-level title of the season this fortnight at the All England Club, where his best previous showing was a fourth-round run in 2021.
More to follow…