Shooting star Fery meets Zverev in the semifinals: Wimbledon dreams of a local hero

"It's a dream come true, finally playing well at Wimbledon," said Fery in his winner's interview on Centre Court, where he played under the eyes of Queen Camilla. After the match, he told the Queen what an honor it had been to play in front of her. "She just said: ‚Congratulations, keep it up'." Fery, who was born in Sèvres near Paris and grew up just a few minutes from the All England Club in southwest London, addressed the crowd with a charming remark: "I told her that my birthday is on Sunday, so it would be great to play." On the day of the final he will turn 24. Fery is only the fifth Briton to reach the semifinals of the grass-court classic – after Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Roger Taylor, and Cameron Norrie.

Cinderella with a family background

The wildcard player's march through the draw is reminiscent of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports. Fery is only the third wildcard player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, after Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open and Henri Leconte at the 1992 French Open. Before this Wimbledon, he had never made it past the second round at a major. His current world ranking will improve significantly thanks to his run: insiders expect a jump into the Top 40.

Behind him lies a sporty family story. Fery's mother Olivia Fery was a tennis player herself; his father Loic Fery is a French businessman and president of top-flight club FC Lorient. The young Briton attended Stanford University, where he played college tennis. As a teenager, he occasionally attended Wimbledon matches and especially enjoyed watching Roger Federer – the very Swiss player whose last great triumph in 2017 on the "Holy Grass" was linked to a wildcard gesture. Federer watched Fery's run to the quarterfinals live on site.

Zverev breaks the spell

For Fery, the semifinal brings an overpowering opponent: Alexander Zverev, world number three. The German defeated American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the final quarterfinal on Wednesday and this time had his nemesis well under control. "I'm extremely happy to be in the semifinals here at Wimbledon," beamed Zverev in his winner's interview on Centre Court. On the "Holy Grass" he had previously never made it past the fourth round in his career. In temperatures above 30 degrees, he quickly shed his initial nerves.

Zverev made a dream start and broke early for 2-1, which was enough to take the set. In the second set as well, he managed the decisive break for 5-4, but at 5-4 he had to save break points – he kept his nerve and took a 2-0 lead in sets. In the third set, he pulled away with breaks to 2-1 and 4-1 and converted his first match point after just under two hours. "I played fantastically," summed up Zverev, who kept the upper hand against an ailing Fritz with a focused performance. The American, who was struggling with knee problems and had to bury his dreams of the final, was far too error-prone.

Fifth German semifinalist

After only 1:59 hours, Zverev converted his first match point and thrust his arms into the London sky. "I know I can do it today, but I was very nervous before the match," Fery had said beforehand. Zverev had described the match against Fritz as a duel with a "nemesis" – in the past, he had often lost to the American. This time, Zverev prevailed convincingly and joins Boris Becker, Michael Stich, Rainer Schüttler, and most recently Tommy Haas in 2009 as the fifth German to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.

"You must be more for him," Zverev joked after his quarterfinal triumph, addressing the spectators, the majority of whom will be supporting their local hero Fery on Friday in the semifinal. The 29-year-old won the French Open on June 28, 2026, and could follow up just four weeks later at Wimbledon. "I hope I get to play two more matches here," Zverev said. He would be the third German Wimbledon finalist of the Open Era after Becker (1985, 1986, 1989) and Stich (1993). Fery, meanwhile, has already given British tennis its next great memory – Princess Kate had also watched Fery's second-round match on one of the outside courts.

Ready for the next surprise

Looking ahead to the semifinal, Fery said Zverev was "another level higher" as his next opponent. "I'm ready for it," declared the Briton, who appeared confident despite the difficult task. Fery's former school is located only about 1.5 kilometers from the All England Club – a proximity that makes his Wimbledon story special. In his previous matches on tour he had barely attracted attention, but the conditions in Wimbledon seem to suit him. The grass, the crowd, the summer temperatures – Fery is playing in surroundings he has known since childhood.

The tournament's prize money totals 74.4 million euros this year. Fery's Wimbledon run will significantly improve his ranking, from 114 up toward the Top 40. He has already reached the semifinals as the lowest-ranked player since Goran Ivanisevic (then ATP 125) in 2001. It is a story Wimbledon loves: a local lad who came into the tournament with a wildcard and is suddenly in the semifinals.

A historic comparison

Fery will now try to emulate Ivanisevic's first Grand Slam triumph, when the Croat won the title as a wildcard in 2001. "I can't believe it," said the Briton after his historic win. "I hope to play two more matches," he added. While the British public hopes for a sensation, Zverev goes into the match as the clear favorite – with the confidence of a freshly crowned French Open winner and the knowledge that he dominated his nemesis this time.

In the women's draw, Marta Kostyuk has reached the semifinals after making her first major semifinal at the French Open in early June. She faces 21-year-old Czech Linda Noskova. Other last-four matches are still to be played in the tournament, but the British public's attention is focused primarily on Fery and the question of whether the local hero can complete the upset against Zverev.

On the day before the semifinal, the mood at the All England Club was relaxed and expectant at the same time. After the match with Cobolli, Fery spoke at length with Queen Camilla, who congratulated him personally. "It's obviously unreal to be playing here now," said Fery, who could hardly believe hours after the match what he had achieved. Attention now turns to Friday, when he meets Zverev – and possibly to Sunday, when he could play for the title in the final.

The news of Fery's run to the semifinals was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 8, 2026, and received broad media coverage. The Briton has long been the talk of his home country. "I knew I could do it today, but I was very nervous before the match," he had admitted, before converting the first set 6-4 after a double fault and a mistimed forehand from Cobolli. It was the start of a historic day for the 23-year-old, who still had a score to settle with Wimbledon.

For British tennis fans, Fery's run is a gift. After the great years of Andy Murray, the country long searched for a new figurehead in men's tennis – now it has a young man born in Sèvres, raised in London, and educated at Stanford. His story is international, but his identification with Wimbledon is thoroughly British. At the end of a long Wednesday, Fery left Centre Court as a semifinalist – and as the new darling of a tennis-crazy crowd.