Wimbledon 2026: Arthur Fery on his career-best win, reaching the semi-final & facing Alexander Zverev
• 3 minute read
British wild card Arthur Fery is now just one win away from reaching what would be an historic Wimbledon men’s singles final.
The 23-year-old local hero needed just two hours and 15 minutes in only his second match on Centre Court to see off world No.10 Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0.
Playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final in the biggest match of his life, the belief and confidence Fery showed in his game was that of a player way beyond his years.
Fery dazzled the home crowd with his all-action approach – darting from side to side on the baseline, gliding into the net, and finding impossible angles from start to finish.
Having defeated Cobolli previously in the first round at the Australian Open earlier this year, Fery knew he had the ability to beat the Roland Garros runner-up and clearly had the psychological edge over his opponent.
“I felt, as I said on court, not comfortable but a bit more confident in playing someone that I'd played before on a big stage,” Fery said addressing the media in his post-match press conference.
“Even throughout the match I felt like it was very close. At times he was serving really well. But I felt like I always had a little bit, not of leeway, but a little bit of an edge.
“I've always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world. Obviously, a semi-finalist of Wimbledon is something else. I've taken it match by match. I haven't looked ahead. I've just played every match as it is. Here I am.”
Fery won’t be short of places to look for inspiration as he moves on through to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
He’s the fifth British man to do so, alongside Davis Cup teammate Cam Norrie, and the likes of Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Roger Taylor.
Added to that, he’s the second wild card to make it this far in the tournament – joining 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic.
Then on the women’s side, Emma Raducanu’s record run from qualifier to champion at the US Open in 2021 has many parallels to that of Fery's at SW19.
“My memory of it was that it was impressive how she didn't let the occasion get to her,” Fery said of Raducanu.
“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.
“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, keep doing that.”
Fery will face his biggest test yet in the semi-finals, lining up to face world No.3 and Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev.
The German has had a breakthrough of his own at Wimbledon this year, reaching the semi-finals for the first time as well.
The second seed knocked out one of the other favourites for the title this year, Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the other quarter-finals today.
Zverev is playing some of his best tennis on grass, a surface that he has struggled on in the past, and is currently one of the most effective servers on tour.
“Zverev is a step up again. I'm ready for it,” he said. “I have nothing to lose. I'm just going to go out there and just put my game on the court, do what I've done, believe in myself. We'll see where that takes me.
“Playing big servers is something I've really improved on, accepting sometimes getting aced a lot, and having more pressure on my service games, because I know they run through theirs sometimes easily.
“I'm a great returner, I think. I’ll just try to apply pressure that way.”
This win in itself was career-defining for Fery, who will now become the British No.1 next week with a live ATP ranking inside the world’s top-40.
Yet more history is on the cards for the young Brit from Wimbledon, who in just a few days' time could go on to do the impossible.
You can watch Fery vs Zverev in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday 10 July live on the BBC, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport.
