London, July 10, 2026
Britain's Arthur Fery has reached the semifinal at the grass Grand Slam in Wimbledon and will face German Paris champion Alexander Zverev on Friday.
Fery, world number 114, defeated Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 in the quarterfinal, booking his ticket to the final four. It is only his second Grand Slam tournament ever, and yet the 23-year-old is now playing for a place in a Wimbledon final. After the win, Fery was on cloud nine: "It seems to get better with every match, I can hardly believe it," he said after Queen Camilla personally congratulated him. "In that last game I experienced feelings I have never felt before."
A Wimbledon fairytale
With his run, Fery is writing a piece of Wimbledon history. Just the second wildcard player after Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, he made it to the semifinal of the tournament. Overall, he is only the fifth Briton to achieve this. Fery's story has already been given a name: "Fery-Tale," a play on the English word "fairytale." The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is being transported back to the successful era of Andy Murray by the local hero, who caused scenes of triumph on the hill near Court No. 1 in 2013 and 2016.
Yet the young Briton's path could hardly have been more unusual. Fery studied at the renowned Stanford University in the USA, where he followed in the footsteps of a John McEnroe as a college player, and only made his ATP Tour debut in 2025. His home lies literally on the doorstep of the tournament grounds: not only his house, but also his school, King's College School, were practically within sight of the mecca of grass-court tennis. "He is a real boy from Wimbledon," said his father Loic.