Arthur Fery first picked up a racquet aged four at the Westside Tennis Club, a little over a mile from Wimbledon's Centre Court. Almost 20 years later, the 23-year-old wildcard is one win from the final. On Friday at 13:30 BST, he will face second seed Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, seeking to become only the second wildcard in the Open Era to lift the men's singles trophy, after Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.
Fery was born in Sevres, just outside Paris, but moved to London before his first birthday. His tennis ability comes from mother Olivia, who played doubles at the 1991 French Open and competed in the Fed Cup. Father Loic is a financier with an estimated net worth of £275 million and owner of French Ligue 1 club Lorient. “They're both extremely supportive with my career, not only now but over the past 10 to 11 years I've been playing sport,” Fery told BBC Sport earlier this year.
“Arthur Fery, 23, faces Alexander Zverev in Wimbledon semi-finals, aiming to become second wildcard champion.”
The journey began with a first lesson from family friend Alison Taylor, married to three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger. “Arthur was incredibly athletic and gifted,” Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live. “You could see there was something special there.” Those skills have been the cornerstone of Fery's run: he swatted aside veteran Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set comeback and then swept world No.10 Flavio Cobolli aside in straight sets, with Queen Camilla watching from the Royal Box.
Despite his lower ranking, Fery has already guaranteed £900,000—more than double his career prize money to date—for reaching the semi-finals. If he progresses, the runner-up takes home £1.8 million; the winner, £3.8 million. The final falls on his 24th birthday.
Fery's run became even more remarkable after he suffered three nosebleeds during his third-round win over Zizou Bergs. He admitted it is a recurring problem in hot conditions and, speaking after the Cobolli match, revealed: “I had a little procedure four days…” He has largely kept his personal life private, though he was previously linked with food content creator Honor Mullard; it has since been confirmed he is currently single.
Fery grew up a short drive from the All England Club, trains at the National Tennis Centre, and feels entirely British. “Maybe 10 years ago, you asked me the question, it would be a bit different. Now I feel very British at heart,” he said. As he prepares for the biggest match of his life, the question now is: can the boy from Westside go all the way?
