The senior tennis season ended with the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, but not every player is on vacation. Arthur Fery, who knocked out 20th seed Alexei Popyrin in four sets at Wimbledon this year, is still competing at Challenger events in Greece. And during his latest match, he suddenly suffered a medical mishap, briefly stopping play.

Arthur Fery, the French-British tennis player, was competing at the Iconico Crete Challenger in Greece against Michael Geerts in the final. The match took an unexpected turn when Fery needed a medical timeout for a nosebleed. The incident happened with Fery serving at 1-4 (15-15) in the third set.

Before the interruption, the match was evenly balanced. Geerts won the first set 7-6, and Fery responded by taking the second set 6-4. Both players showed firm determination as they pushed the match to a deciding set.

However, the medical timeout seemed to affect Fery’s rhythm. He struggled to regain control, and Geerts took advantage of the momentum shift. The Belgian ace dominated the third set, winning it 6-2 and securing the Challenger title.

Fery still delivered some impressive moments in the final, including hitting 2 aces. But the pressure from Geerts proved too much in the closing stages. Despite the loss, Fery’s performance throughout the tournament remains commendable.

This year has been significant for Arthur Fery. He claimed his first ATP Challenger title in Barranquilla, marking a major milestone in his career. He reached the final without dropping a set, winning matches against Darian King, Miguel Tobon, Cannon Kingsley, and Juan Pablo Ficovich.

Fery, supported by the Pro Scholarship Programme presented by Lexus, also reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Challenger event in Bloomfield Hills. And despite the loss in the final, these accomplishments helped him rise to a career-best ranking of No. 193 as of December 1st.

And even with the setbacks from injuries and physical issues, Fery continues to progress. This speaks to a much larger issue – challenger events worldwide have shown many similar cases, highlighting the need for schedule changes, something top players like Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have called for throughout the 2025 season.

Sergio Callejon Hernando, Gastao Elias and others suffer mid-match injuries

Like Arthur Fery, many ATP players have faced mid-match injuries during recent Challenger events. One example is Spaniard Sergio Callejon Hernando, who took a medical timeout during his match against Alberto Barroso Campos in Greece. He fell to the floor off camera while Campos was serving at 4-3 (40-30) in the third set.

The match had been competitive until that moment. Campos won the first set with a bagel, and Hernando took the second set 6-4. Both players were battling hard before the sudden fall changed everything.

After the fall, Hernando tried to continue, but he struggled to move properly. His injury made it impossible to finish the match. As a result, he had to retire before the final points could be played.

In another event, during a Round of 32 match in Maia, Portuguese player Gastao Elias took a medical timeout after losing the second set to Henrique Rocha. He seemed to be dealing with abdominal or hip discomfort. He went shirtless as the medical team arrived courtside right after the set ended 3-6 in Rocha’s favour.

In Australia, at the City of Playford Tennis International, Ajeet Rai also suffered a mid-match issue. He experienced a severe cramp that forced the umpire to step down to check on him. It was later confirmed that the 26-year-old was dealing with cramping.

After a brief pause, the match continued, but Rai could not regain his rhythm. He eventually lost the final set 6-2 against Japan’s Taiyo Yamanaka.

With so many injuries occurring even at Challenger events, the question now grows louder: when can we expect the schedule to change in tennis?