"It doesn't surprise me at all that he's winning" - what ATP stars are saying about Arthur Fery's Wimbledon run
• 2 minute read
Arthur Fery’s run to the Wimbledon semi-finals has been the story of the tournament so far, but many of his competitors have suggested his breakthrough is far from a surprise.
Several stars on the ATP Tour have spoken about Fery’s level over the fortnight, praising both the quality of his tennis and the resilience he's shown on his run to the final four at the All England Club.
Flavio Cobolli
Fery’s quarter-final opponent Flavio Cobolli has known the Brit since their junior days and was given an early glimpse of his potential at this year's Australian Open, where Fery defeated the Italian in straight sets in the first round.
Six months later, Fery repeated the feat on an even bigger stage, beating the Roland Garros runner-up 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 on Centre Court to book his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
“In Australia I felt that his level wasn't from a guy that’s ranked outside that top 100."
I think he deserves it (reaching a Grand Slam semi-final). He always played good tennis since he was young - we grew up together.
Taylor Fritz
Another player who believes Fery’s breakthrough has been a long time coming is fellow Wimbledon quarter-finalist Taylor Fritz.
The American was full of praise for Fery’s game and vividly remembered a training week with him in London in November 2024 ahead of the Nitto ATP Tour Finals in Turin.
Following his fourth round win over Alexander Bublik, Fritz was asked about Fery in his press conference - recalling how the Briton “consistently cooked” him during those training sessions.
“I know a good bit about Arthur. I went to London before the 2024 World Tour Finals, and I did a training week there prior to Turin. I practiced with him most of the week.
“I was playing well. I made finals in Turin the next week and I felt pretty good about my game. He was beating me every day and I was like, yeah, this guy's really good. He was cooking me pretty consistently for the week.
It doesn't surprise me at all that he's winning. I've known since then that he can play.
Grigor Dimitrov
Fery's fourth-round victory over former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov was the moment many British fans began to believe he could produce something special at Wimbledon.
The soon-to-be British No.1 recovered from two sets to one down to defeat the Bulgarian in a thrilling five-set battle to secure a place in the last eight.
Despite the occasion marking the biggest match of Fery's career and his first appearance on Centre Court, Dimitrov was impressed by the composure and fighting spirit he showed under pressure, particularly after battling back from a break down twice in the fourth set.
"I've seen him play, I know that he's a fighter - he always plays till the end. He just went and grabbed the match when important moments came through. He went for it.
"Of course the crowd, the atmosphere, everything helped for him. I'm happy for him - this one will be a memorable one."
Alexander Zverev
With a first career-meeting looming between Fery and Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, the world No.3 is anticipating the home favourite to raise his level once again.
Like his fellow top 10 players Cobolli and Fritz, the recently crowned Roland Garros champion has had his eye on Fery long before his dream run on the grass, and highlighted his clean technique as one of his many strengths.
“The first time I watched him play was actually in Australia (against Cobolli). I watched that match and I was very impressed back then already. He has a very clean technique and very clean groundstrokes. I thought he was a very good tennis player already back then. It's maybe a surprise that he's in the semi-finals but I think he deserves it.”
The wins that he’s had, the way he fought back in a couple of those matches, is great to see and it's a great story. I'm very happy to play him in the semi-finals - I think it's going to be a great atmosphere.
Zverev is also aware of Fery's never-back-down mentality that the 23-year-old has displayed throughout his Wimbledon run so far. The second seed is anticipating a stern test in the semi-finals, not only because of the Brit's fighting spirit but also the backing of a Centre Court crowd that will be firmly behind the home favourite on every single point.
Fery will contest his semi-final match against Zverev on Friday 10 July at 13:30 BST.
