British tennis player Arthur Fery’s proud multi-millionaire parents both watched on as he faced Alexander Zverev in a tense semi-final match at Wimbledon’s Centre Court this afternoon.
The 23-year-old, who is only the second wild card player in history to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club, already beat ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets on Wednesday to progress to the penultimate round.
As he stepped out to face the second seed German Zverev on Friday, parents Olivia, 53, and Loïc, 52, who are divorced, were both ardent supporters.
His mother sat separately from his father, who was accompanied by his partner Diana Kyllmann, 35, a Bolivian former tennis player turned investment banker.
The Brit has already secured a minimum prize pot of £900,000 just by making the semi-final – although his affluent upbringing means this has never been an issue for the family.
Should underdog Fery pull off victory in front of the packed crowd this afternoon, he will progress to the final on Sunday and guarantee himself at least the runner’s up prize of £1.8 million.
Fery comes from a sporting dynasty and has been nicknamed ‘Cross Channel Fery’ after being born in France but spending the majority of his life in the UK.
His mother, Olivia, is a former professional tennis player, while his wealthy hedge fund manager father, Loïc, once bought a French top-flight football club.
Loïc Ferry supports son Arthur at his semi-final match, accompanied by his partner Diana Kyllmann, 35, and his own father Denis
Arthur Fery’s mother Olivia sits in the stands as she cheers on her son during his semi-final tie against Alexander Zverev
Alexander Fery, 23, walks out on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Friday afternoon
His parents had three children together before they divorced in 2022.
Bogota-born Ms Kyllmann was a national junior champion in her homeland before playing college tennis in the US for prestigious Indiana University. She is now an executive director at Goldman Sachs’ global banking and markets division and co-owns the padel company 10Padel with Loïc.
Away from work, she remains a keen player and has captained the women’s first team at London’s exclusive Queen’s Club for the past three years.
Fery’s mother, Olivia, who competed under her maiden name Gravereaux, qualified for the French Open as a wildcard in 1991 – a feat mirrored by her son’s wildcard run at Wimbledon 35 years later.
Her top world ranking was 225, while her son last week reached a new peak of 114 – and will hurtle into the top 100 for the first time following his All England Club successes.
Fery was born in Paris but grew up in London, attending the £11,940-per-term King’s College School in Wimbledon while living just a mile away from the tennis grounds.
Fery’s mother is a member of the All England Club and the pair often played together on its courts during his childhood.
But he told reporters he was never ‘pushed’ into playing tennis, instead taking up the sport of his own volition.
Fery reached the semi-finals of the boys’ doubles at Wimbledon in 2019 – before making the third round of the main competition’s mixed doubles, alongside Tara Moore, two years later.
He then went on to win a tennis scholarship for a science, technology and society degree at the prestigious Stanford University in California.
This year has taken him to new levels, initially with getting through to the second round of the Australian Open in January.
He was granted a wildcard entry to this summer’s Wimbledon, despite not qualifying through the official routes.
His performances since have meant he is only the second wildcard entry to reach as far as the semi-finals.
The only wildcard entry to go on to win a Wimbledon title is Goran Ivanisevic, in 2001.
