Wimbledon 2026: Arthur Fery proud of resilience as he reflects on historic semi-final run
• 2 minute read
Arthur Fery’s unforgettable Wimbledon run came to an end on Friday afternoon after world No.3 Alexander Zverev denied the wild card a place in a first Grand Slam final.
It’s been a fortnight to remember for the Wimbledon local, who defied all expectations to became the first wild card to reach the semi-final at a major in 25 years.
Fery was looking to create even more history today, as he bid to become the second British man to reach a Wimbledon singles final in the Open Era. However, the task of facing second seed Zverev proved too much - with the German producing a clinical performance to deny the home favourite a place in Sunday's final.
While Fery had beaten the likes of former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov and world No.10 Flavio Cobolli on his way to the final four, today’s task against a long-established top five player presented an entirely different challenge.
“It was definitely a step up today,” Fery said addressing the media in his post-match press conference.
“We know how well he can play. He was hitting his forehand really well and really going big. It didn't seem to affect him when he missed.
“Maybe it would have been a bit different if I applied more pressure on him at really important moments - maybe the forehand would have made a few more errors. He's just serving big, consistently big and consistently in the 135s (mph) - it's tough to read.”
While he admitted that he came up short against a higher ranked opponent today, Fery said he was most proud of the resilience he showed across the fortnight, adding, “I’m most proud of how I handled the progression of the tournament and how I kept going in every match.
That's what I was most proud of, never letting go and really pushing myself to the limit.
“It would have been easy to let Zizou Bergs run away with his two breaks in the fourth (in the third round).
“I just kept fighting, came back to the match court every time and gave my best. I was mentally locked in. I lacked a bit of that today. It might have been just a step too far. The opponent was a step up again.
“That's what I was most proud of, never letting go and really pushing myself to the limit.”
For Fery, a lot has changed since he stepped foot onto the grass at the All England Club almost two weeks ago. He arrived as a wild card, ranked No.114 in the world and with just two Grand Slam main draw wins to his name.
Now, he leaves SW19 as a Grand Slam semi-finalist, ranked inside the world’s top 40 and will become the new men’s British No.1 for the first time in his career on Monday - feats he probably wouldn’t have believed were possible when he kick-started his campaign.
Reaching a new career-high ranking of No.36 will bring an array of new experiences for Fery, who will gain direct entry to the biggest tournaments on the ATP circuit - including Masters 1000s and the majors.
With so much change ahead, the 23-year-old says he will draw on advice from others who have embarked on similar breakthroughs, including fellow Brit Emma Raducanu and Monegasque star Valentin Vacherot.
“I'm going to be able to play Tour events at least for a full year, hopefully for more.
“It's going to be interesting to see how I deal with that change and everything that it brings in terms of expectations from myself, from the public, from everyone. The first part of it is having good people around me who are going to help me in that transition.
“Emma (Raducanu) or guys like Vacherot,” he added. “He's done an incredible job - he went from 200 to winning a Masters. Suddenly it almost seemed like his base level switched overnight and now, that seems like his everyday level. I’ll try and take from what they've done and do the same.”
It’s been a long and demanding grass court campaign for the Brit, who will now switch his focus to recharging the batteries and taking time to digest everything he’s achieved over the last few weeks.
Fery had planned to be on holiday in Greece this week but a last minute change of plan to make way for a Grand Slam semi-final took priority.
After some much needed time off, he'll be hoping to keep the momentum going across the remainder of the season and is excited for what’s to come as he settles into his new life on the ATP Tour.
“It's been a good grass season but a long one, mentally challenging. I'm glad that I kept going, kept going in this tournament, every match was a new challenge. I’m going to take some time off now and rest before heading to the US.
“Planning on playing Cincinnati and Winston-Salem, my first main draw at the US Open. With regards to tournaments I haven't played yet, I'm looking forward to playing in Asia - it's going to be great.”
Read more about Fery and his journey through the 2026 British grass court season:
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