Arthur Fery reaches Wimbledon semifinal in front of Queen Camilla

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.

Zverev as next opponent

On Friday, the tournament's number two awaits the underdog. Alexander Zverev, Zverev, is preparing for a special atmosphere. "You can all be for Fery, that's totally okay," said the German, who called the "Fery-Tale" a "beautiful story." "It will be an exciting day for both of us," Zverev said, looking forward to the duel, which begins at 2:30 PM CEST and will be broadcast by Amazon Prime.

The constellation could hardly be more different: Fery is playing only his eighth match at Grand Slam level, while Zverev has already won 409. Nevertheless, the Briton is already capable of a historic feat. After Wimbledon he will climb into the world's Top 40, and in the British rankings he is mathematically even number one. "I don't know what to say. I will remember it for the rest of my life," said Fery. "Maybe I will never experience something like this again. It could be the first, but also the last time."

History in sight

Should Fery actually march all the way to the title, he would be the first Englishman since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the home tournament. Role model Ivanisevic shows that such stories are possible: the Croatian, ranked 125 in the world, won his long-desired major title at Wimbledon in 2001 at the tail end of his career.

In the other semifinal, Jannik Sinner and Serbian "evergreen" Novak Djokovic will play for the second final ticket. At 39, Djokovic can crown himself the oldest Grand Slam champion in history and, with a 25th major title, become the sole record holder – Margaret Court currently sits alongside Serena Williams at 24. But the British fans' main focus on Friday is on their new darling, who is already writing Wimbledon history.