The best of British turned out in force at Wimbledon on Friday as the country’s last remaining hope Arthur Fery faced his biggest battle yet.
The 23-year-old had captivated the nation with his record-breaking run into the men’s semi-finals at The Championships – which came to an end on Centre Court.
He fell to an admirable straight sets defeat at the hands of German second seed Alexander Zverev in front of a packed-out stadium.
Among those enduring the sweltering heat to watch the game of the day were Keira Knightley and husband James Righton.
The actress, 41, wore a chic white Ralph Lauren dress for the occasion and stayed animated throughout the contest.
She was seen chatting away with The Nutcracker co-star Richard E Grant, who dressed in a lightweight pastel blue suit while sitting in the Royal Box, which was shaded by the partially closed roof.
They were joined by former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who wore a printed floral dress, documentary-maker Louis Theroux as well as actors Hugh Laurie, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
Even with the emphatic support in SW19, there was no stopping Fery’s fairytale run – which saw him become the first British wildcard to reach a Wimbledon singles semi-final in the Open era – from being brought to a crashing end by the World No 3.
Arthur Fery lost in straight sets against Alexander Zverev, who will now face Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final
Among those who turned out to watch Fery’s demise were former Vogue editor Anna Wintour
A tight first set had initially raised hopes that the Wimbledon local may well continue his impressive campaign.
But it was not to be as the plucky 5ft 9in player was overcome by his 6ft 6in opponent, who powered into his first Wimbledon final with a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory in two hours.
Fery walked off court to a standing ovation, with his campaign seeing him win £900,000 in prize money and rise to being World No 36 – making him the new British No 1.
Martin Freeman, Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch were in the Royal Box on Centre Court
And Keira Knightley was beside Richard E Grant as Fery’s run came to an end at the hands of the French Open champion
Speaking after his match, Fery – who had been ranked outside the Top 100 – admitted it was a ‘tough’ defeat, adding: ‘It still hurts like a loss, but overall [it’s been] a great two weeks.’
Discussing his newfound fame, he said it will ‘definitely take time to fully digest’.
‘It’s something that I’m going to have to get used to if I keep playing well, which I hope I will, but, yes, it’s awesome,’ he added.
He also revealed he had traded a holiday in Greece to compete in the second half of the Championships, having booked the trip with friends under the presumption his run would have ended by now.
Asked whether his friends still went away without him, he joked: ‘One of my friends went ahead of time hoping I would lose so I could join him… He came back two days later and was supporting me.
‘But yeah, [I’m] going to take some time off now and rest.’
The usually calm Fery also admitted he had clashed with Friday’s umpire Marijana Veljovic over what he claimed were three missed lets.
‘I’m pretty sure that she missed some net cords,’ he said.
In the other semi-final, World No 1 Jannik Sinner beat seven-time winner Novak Djokovic.
