By the age of 10, Feri’s technical abilities had already made him one of the most talented young men in the country.
He caught the attention of Sutton Tennis Academy coach Craig Veal and began working with him alongside former French ATP player Benoit Foucher.
The pair decided that Feri would be better off playing against adults in the UK rather than traveling around the world to compete against his peers.
“(We decided) to let him develop his game and his passion for it, rather than putting pressure on him to get an international ranking,” Veal told i Paper.external
“When he was 16, he moved up his junior ranks very, very quickly compared to a lot of his peers because he was ready to play.”
Once Feri began playing internationally, he won world junior tennis titles in singles and doubles and reached a world ranking of 12.
He never made it past the third round in boys’ singles at a Grand Slam, but reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in doubles.
A smooth transition into the professional ranks was not guaranteed – so he had an alternative plan.