Fery Knows What to Work on After US Open Exit

'I know what I have to work on' - Fery ready to take on best despite US Open exit. Britain's Arthur Fery said he now knows what he has to work on after his US Open debut was cut short on Tuesday. His hopes of making a splash in New York were ended in the first round after a straight-sets defeat by Lorenzo Musetti.

The 24-year-old had been riding the crest of a wave since his historic run to the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard earlier this summer. Latest US Open scores and results \ud83c\udfbe. US Open news blog I Men's and Women's draws I Order of Play.

Download Sky Sports app for analysis, news and video \ud83d\udcfa. Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW \ud83d\udcf1. He reached his first ATP final at the Winston-Salem Open last week and arrived at Flushing Meadows with high hopes of another deep run at the Grand Slam.

But he ran aground against Italian 13th seed Musetti in a straight-sets loss on Grandstand Stadium. It was a comprehensive defeat, but a useful gauge for Fery who has risen from outside the top 200 a year ago to No 33 in the world. "I know what I have to work on," he said.

"I got a lot of ideas coming straight off the court of what I have to work on to do better. "My serve really let me down today, which is not usually the case, but I've been struggling a little bit to find my rhythm on the serve. "Today was particularly a struggle, but definitely playing guys at that level, it's tough and the margins are small.

Fery, now the British No 1, was close to being seeded at Flushing Meadows, meaning he would have avoided a player of Musetti's class in the early stages." He admitted he was under-prepared due to his run in North Carolina last week, but said he would not have done things differently. "The Grand Slams are the biggest tournaments and everyone has their eye on them." he added. "At the same time, would I sign for these past two weeks?

Probably, to be honest. "It's a lot of ranking points, it's a first ATP final, so it's good. Even though it meant that my preparation for the US Open was not great.

Fery reflects further: If I had played my A-game I would have had a chance. Speaking to Sky Sports following the loss, Fery was still disappointed and felt it was an opportunity missed. He also cited a lack of preparation time as a learning curve early on in his career that has taken a massive stride forward.

"It was a tough, tough match and definitely a good opponent. It was not the draw that I wanted, but I felt like I had a chance to win if I put my A-game on the court. I was a bit short today," he said.

"I practised well yesterday and felt like I was ready for today, but obviously would have loved to have a few more practice days under my belt in these conditions with the balls and the speed of the court before playing. "It is still one of the biggest matches of my career. In terms of the stage and the court and the player, it is not like it's something that I do every week still.

"So it was a big ask. I knew that, but I was ready for the challenge. But preparation was obviously a bit hindered.

Despite his disappointment, Fery knows that these big moments will only help moving into the future as he learns more about the big stages and starts to progress even further. "It is still positive. I have had three tournaments in the US and lost to three great players.

I made my first ATP Tour final last week. "I feel like I can still improve, which is really the great thing. "There are a lot of aspects of my game that I can get better in.

So it is moving in the right direction. "It is my first US Open. I am really grateful to be here, to be in this position, and already looking forward to coming back next year.

'Learning curve for Fery'. Sky Sports Tennis ' Tim Henman said Fery will take "an enormous amount from his defeat and will gain vital experience. The former British No 1 said: "What he lacks right now is experience at the highest level.

He's 33 in the world and hasn't played a great deal of tennis outside the UK at this level. Asked where Fery can improve his game, Henman said: "He's got to continue to give himself opportunities to finish points at the net. His forehand side, in these types of [hot] conditions, he can perhaps take the ball a bit earlier and get more penetration through the court.