Shameless French tennis fans have tried to hijack Wimbledon hero Arthur Fery as one of their own — even though he moved to Britain at a month old. Sore losers across the Channel claim the 23-year-old, who grew up five minutes from Centre Court, is their “last remaining hope”, prompting a “hands-off” return from Blighty.
Fery, who was born in the Paris suburb of Sevres to French parents, says he “feels very British”. His father, Loic, told L’Equipe: “He’s a true Wimbledon boy.” The new British No 1 faces German second seed Alexander Zverev in today’s Centre Court semi-final — and will have the full force of his adoptive nation behind him.
“Arthur Fery reaches Wimbledon semi-finals as French fans claim him, but he says he 'feels very British'.”
Druid King Arthur Pendragon is among those urging Fery to “invoke the spirit” of his legendary namesake. The self-proclaimed reincarnation of the fabled British king told The Sun: “As a fellow Celt I suggest the French back off. He’s a Brit and this is the Isle of the mighty and we will stand against the French.”
Fery’s journey has come almost full circle. He first stepped onto a court aged four at the Westside Tennis Club, a little over a mile away from the All England Club. Almost 20 years later, the wildcard has achieved the greatest results of his career on the courts he dreamed of playing on as a child. He beat Flavio Cobolli in straight sets on Centre Court as Queen Camilla watched on from the Royal Box on Wednesday.
Fery comes from strong sporting stock. His mother, Olivia, played doubles at the 1991 French Open and competed in the Fed Cup. His father, Loic, is a multimillionaire hedge fund manager who owns French Ligue 1 club Lorient, and is estimated to have a net worth of £275 million.
Whatever the outcome against Zverev, Fery is guaranteed £900,000 — more than he has previously earned from his entire career in singles and doubles, according to The Times. If he progresses to the final, he would either take home £1.8 million as a runner-up or scoop £3.8 million as the winner. The final also falls on his 24th birthday.
Fery himself has told of his love for the UK, saying: “I live here. All my best friends live here. I went to school here. I train here.” He added: “It’s been a long time that I’ve lived in the UK. … I feel completely British now. Maybe 10 years ago, [if] you [asked] me the question, it would be a bit different. Now I feel very British at heart.”
