If it had been a film script, Arthur Fehry’s remarkable adventure at Wimbledon would probably never have made it to the big screen because it seemed too far-fetched to be believable.
The 23-year-old, who grew up a short walk from center court, was ranked 114th in the world at the start of the tournament, a wild card competitor with only two previous Grand Slam match victories. Become a Wimbledon semi-finalist?
Arthur Fery celebrates his shock victory. Getty Images
Pull the other one.
In fact, this is only half of this very unusual sporting story, the ending of which rivals anything in the annals of Wimbledon history.
Fery will face Roland Garros champion and second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday. By winning this, he will play in the final on his 24th birthday and have the chance to emulate Goran Ivanisevic, who beat Pat Rafter in 2001 to become the only player to win the Wimbledon singles title as a wild card.
Of course, there is still a long way to go and Zverev will be a significant step up in class from ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, whom Fery demolished 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0 on a hot Center Court to become only the fifth Briton in the professional era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
When Stan Sport reported that his live ranking had risen to 36th place and his prize money for the tournament had increased to over $1.7 million, Fery said:
“I didn’t think about it, this is the first time you’ve told me all this. Every match gets better, ranking points, prize money, I didn’t think much about it.
“I treat them like tennis matches and try my best every time and I’m glad it’s paying off.”
France-born Fery was watched by Britain’s Queen Camilla from the front row of the Royal Box, while Princess Kate supported him last week in his match against Otto Wirtanen.
“The Queen, she was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how honored I was to play in front of her. She just said, ‘Congratulations, carry on,'” Fery told reporters.
The king of tennis in eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer nodded in approval during Fery’s thrilling five-set last 16 match against Grigor Dimitrov.
Against Cobolli, Feri looked twice as good as his 175cm frame, returning balls he had no right to reach and looking impenetrable at times, feeding off the energy of the crowd in the hot center court cauldron.
Queen Camilla is present in the Royal Box. Getty Images
The enormity of what he has achieved may sink in ahead of his semi-final on Friday night (AEST), but don’t expect Fery to buckle under the weight of his newfound glory – his path has been carefully planned.
He delayed turning pro full-time, choosing instead to go to college in the US. He majored in science, technology and society at Stanford University, where he became the top college player in the country.
While his run may resemble a sports tale for the ages, Fery takes it all in stride, and his understated answers to questions from reporters eager for punchy quotes reflect the calm he displays on the court.
“It’s good that I don’t have two weeks until the next match. They go by quickly. So that’s good,” he said. “Just staying in my bubble and just carrying on.”
After a torrid start for the country, which saw 15 of the 19 singles players bow out of the tournament in the first round, Fery has emerged as an unlikely standard-bearer for Britain and French tennis authorities may be rueing who went.
Fery was born near Roland Garros in the Parisian suburb of Sèvres. His parents are both French. Father Loic is a multimillionaire hedge fund manager who owns the French football club Lorient, and mother Olivia was a former professional player.
Despite representing France in the junior ranks for some time, Fery’s reputation as a Briton is quite solid.
Feri will face Alex Zverev in the semi-finals. Getty Images
He moved to London as a child, attended King’s College, Wimbledon, came through the British tennis system and said he had “no decisions to make” when it came to his allegiance.
“He’s a real Wimbledon boy,” Fery’s father told French sports newspaper L’Equipe. “It’s like a man who grew up in Boulogne and played at Roland Garros. He went to school five minutes from here. He’s always lived here.”