Wimbledon 2026: Arthur Fery stuns to make semi-finals; Flavio Cobolli
If it were a movie script, Arthur Fery’s remarkable Wimbledon adventure would probably never have made it to the big screen because it seemed too far-fetched to be believable.A 23-year-old, who grew up within walking distance of centre court, ranked 114th in the world at the start of the tournament, a wildcard entrant with only two previous grand slam match wins. To be a Wimbledon semi-finalist?AdvertisementPull the other one.In reality, that is only half of this quite extraordinary sporting tale that could yet have a conclusion that would rival anything in the annals of Wimbledon history.Fery will face Roland-Garros champion and second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday. Win that, and he would play in the final on his 24th birthday with the chance to emulate Goran Ivanisevic, who in 2001 defeated Pat Rafter to become the only player to win the Wimbledon singles title as a wildcard.There is still a long way to go, of course, and Zverev will be a sizeable step-up in class from ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, who Fery dispatched 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0 on a steamy centre court to become only the fifth British man in the professional era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.When told by Stan Sport his live ranking had risen to No.36 and his prize money for the tournament ballooned to over $1.7m, Fery said:“I haven’t thought about it, it’s the first time you’re telling me all this. Every match it gets better, the ranking points, the prize money, I haven’t really thought about it.“I’m just treating them as tennis matches and just putting my best foot forward every time, and I’m glad that it’s paying off in that way.”AdvertisementFrench-born Fery was watched by Britain’s Queen Camilla from the front row of the Royal Box, and had Princess Kate cheering him on last week against Otto Virtanen.“The Queen, she was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her. She just said, ‘Congratulations, keep going’,” Fery told reporters.Tennis royalty in the shape of eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer nodded his approval during Fery’s five-set cliffhanger against Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16.Against Cobolli, Fery looked twice his 175cm frame – returning balls he had no right to reach and at times looking impassable as he fed off the energy of the crowd in a scorching centre court cauldron.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe enormity of what he has achieved may sink in before his semi-final on Friday evening (AEST), but do not expect Fery to buckle under the weight of his new-found fame – his journey has been carefully mapped out.He delayed going pro full-time, opting instead for the US college route. He majored in science, technology and society at Stanford University, where he became the top-ranked college player in the country.While his run may resemble a sporting fairytale for the ages, Fery takes everything in his stride and his measured responses to the questions of reporters eager for headline-grabbing quotes, mirrors the calmness he shows on court.Advertisement“It’s good that I don’t have two weeks before my next match. They keep coming fast. So that’s good,” he said. “Just staying in my bubble and just carrying on.”After a torrid start for the home nation with 15 of its 19 singles players knocked out in round one, Fery has become the unlikely standard-bearer for Britain and the French tennis authorities might be ruing one that got away.Fery was born close to Roland-Garros in the Parisian suburb of Sevres. His parents are both French. Father Loic is a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who owns French football club Lorient while mum Olivia was a former professional.Despite briefly representing France as a junior, Fery’s credentials as a Brit are solid.AdvertisementAdvertisementHe moved to London as a child, attended King’s College in Wimbledon, came through the British tennis system and said there was “no decision to make” when it came to his allegiance.“He’s a true Wimbledon boy,” Fery’s father told French sports daily L’Equipe. “It’s like someone who grew up in Boulogne playing at Roland-Garros. He went to school five minutes from here. He’s always lived here.”
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