​Arthur Fery grew increasingly frustrated by what he described as obvious umpiring errors during his Wimbledon semi-final against Alexander Zverev, and he was forced to replay a crucial point after a ball kid moved to collect a ball beneath the umpire’s chair before the point had finished. In the early stages of the second set, with Zverev having won the first set in a one-sided tiebreak and the British wildcard serving at 1-1, 0-30, the momentum appeared to favor Fery’s chances to hold serve at the outset of the set. But the German second seed, fresh from securing a powerful service game, managed to break serve to love in the third game.
The replayed point occurred when Fery believed he had won the third point of the game to reduce the deficit to 15-30. Zverev’s wide serve had been mishit down the line by Fery as he advanced to a sharply angled volley. Zverev reached the ball on the far side of the court, and his return landed out. However, umpire Marijana Veljovic halted the point because a ball kid, standing under her chair, had risen and moved to collect Zverev’s return, seemingly thinking it would be out. The scene appeared distracting to Fery, who raised his arms, and despite Fery winning the point, Veljovic called for the entire point to be replayed due to the initial interference. It seemed she had issued the call before Zverev’s reply landed out.
To compound Fery’s frustration, Zverev blasted his second serve for a clean winner, taking advantage to bring up three break points. Fery was subsequently broken to love as his backhand failed to find the court. As the second set progressed, Fery also argued with Veljovic over several serves he believed should have been ruled as lets—instances where the ball brushes the net before crossing into the service box. Fery contended a number of let calls, insisting that they had occurred and should have been acknowledged.
The issue of lets raised questions about the reliability of a long-discussed technology that monitors net touches. The devices once used to automatically detect net-cord contacts were discontinued after the grand slams opted not to rely on the ball-tracking machine that had previously performed that function, following the bankruptcy of the company that produced it. It is now incumbent on the chair umpire to call serves that appear to have touched the net.
Fery first challenged a let call during the opening set and pressed the matter again in the fourth game of the second set, approaching Veljovic’s chair to inquire why she had not ruled what he believed were clearly obvious lets. “It would be helpful to have a machine on the net, no,” Fery said, acknowledging that while he respected the umpire’s effort, some calls seemed conspicuously clear to him. “I know you’re doing your best, but those ones were quite obvious.” He expanded on his remarks in his post-match press conference, noting that he believed several lets had gone uncalled—three in total, with Zverev also reporting that he heard at least one let. “The umpire was trying to tell me that it was coming out of the microphone, not out of the actual net,” Fery explained. “I’m not one to complain on court, and I’m not one to mishear things. I’m fairly certain there were net-cord instances that were missed, and that was the subject of the discussion.”
The episode underscored the ongoing debate about officiating standards and technology in tennis, particularly around calls related to net cords and lets. Fery’s critique reflected a broader conversation about whether automated net-monitoring systems should be reinstated to reduce potential human error on crucial points, especially in high-stakes matches such as Wimbledon semifinals. The outcome of the match, of course, hinged on many points beyond these moments, but the events of that game highlighted the tension between human judgment and technological assistance in tennis officiating.