Arthur Fery resumes his remarkable wildcard journey at Wimbledon when he battles Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday afternoon.
The French-born underdog has battled through the 128-men singles field to capitalise on his wildcard opportunity, sparking memories of Emma Raducanu’s run as a qualifier to secure US Open glory in 2021.
Fery is now just the second wildcard in men’s singles history to make it to the last four, with Goran Ivanisevic’s legendary run to glory in 2001 the only other occasion.
Now Fery hopes to move within one step of repeating the Croatian’s feat, but French Open champion and No. 2 seed Zverez provides a daunting task.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest home sensation at SW19:
Fery’s game is bigger than his stature
Fery might only be 5-foot-9-inches, which makes him the fourth-shortest player at this year’s men’s singles championship, but despite his diminutive frame, Fery has packed a punch en route to the semi-finals, with quarter-final opponent Flavio Cobolli admitting he might have underestimated the task.
“To play a quarter-final against a guy that already played marathon match, many hours on court, ranking lower than me, so I felt like it was a chance to have a good day for me today,” Cobolli said. “Maybe, like my team says, I wasn’t so humble since the first point, but I felt that it wasn’t my day. Can happens.”
Fery’s education included Wimbledon’s King’s College School before entering the American collegiate scene and the fiercely-competitive NCAA at Stanford University, with doubles legends Bob and Mike Bryan providing input into his coaching and shaping his game to contend with competitors with greater physical talents.
This is perhaps part of the reason why Fery is able to combat those taller and more physically stronger opponents, with Zverev’s fastest average serve (131mph) at this year’s championships likely to pose a problem. His run over the past 11 days has showcased both volley and touch to take down superior players on paper.
Fery has also had his game compared to the Japanese player Kei Nishikori, who also had a formidable backhand and has previously declared a liking to Andre Agassi.
The global influences to Fery’s rise
Fery, who has now been dubbed “King Arthur” by some in and around the grounds at SW19, has enjoyed a variety of global influences in his career to date. He was born in the Paris suburb of Sevres, but moved to the UK as a child and switched allegiances to Great Britain after representing France for a spell.
His father Loic is a multimillionaire hedge fund manager, while also operating as the president for Ligue 1 club Lorient.
Fery’s sporting genes also come from his mother Olivia, who starred for France as a professional tennis player, while she has also held a membership at the All England Club for many years, which is where Arthur was introduced to the game as a child.
“I feel very, very British now,” Fery said. “It’s been a long time that I’ve lived in the UK. I’ve spent a lot of time here. I train at the National Tennis Centre. The federation helped me lots. I feel completely British now. Maybe 10 years ago you ask me the question, it would be a bit different. Now I feel very British at heart.”
Fery still lives in Wimbledon and his upbringing in this part of London, as well as a love story with the grass at the AELTC, saw him soak in the epic Court 18 tussle between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, the longest-ever tennis match, with a 70-68 fifth set.
What happened with Fery’s nosebleeds?
Fery has not only had to deal with an opponent on the other side of the net, mid-match nosebleeds also proving a challenge. During moments of high stress, Fery’s nose bled throughout the marathon victory against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.
Fery overcame the surprise issue, which also occurred during Queen’s and Wimbledon qualifiers, and even played with a cotton wool wedged up his nostril before a physio and doctor attended to the issue, which he has said will be addressed after the championships.
Fery said: “I can’t do much about it. It happened a few times in the match today, and the other day as well. Can’t do much about it. There’s times where it breaks my momentum, as well. Yeah, there’s times where, I mean, I can obviously understand it’s frustrating for the opponent as well to constantly have to wait. I can’t do much about it, at least when I’m on the court today. Personally, I was just accepting it and trying to move forward the best I could after.”
What will this run do for Fery’s future?
From 198th in the world at the end of 2025 and entering SW19 at 114, Fery has transformed his game, having never progressed beyond the second round of a grand slam before.
A world ranking of 36th in the world awaits and, as a result, a first-ever top 100 appearance, which will temporarily spell the end of Challenger tournaments and qualifying rounds, better serving preparation and practice.
The run to the final four has banked him at least £900,000, more than his entire career earnings to this point (approximately £650,000). If Fery beats Zverev, then he will lock in a £1.8m paycheck and a chance to play for the £3.6m winner’s prize.
Inspiration from Raducanu’s run at US Open
“My memory of it was that it was impressive how she didn’t let the occasion get to her,” Fery said after being asked about Raducanu’s legendary run as a qualifier at the 2021 US Open. “She would just keep going match after match, playing well, beating top players. That was until the title.
“It’s very tough to do when you’re not used to being on the stage, on such a big stage. She did it great when she won the US Open.
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to do that, as well. Just take it match by match, play my game, put what I do best on court, yeah, keep doing that.”
