British wildcard Arthur Fery has invited Prince George and Princess Charlotte to play tennis with him, after meeting the royal siblings and their parents at the Wimbledon men's singles final on Sunday.
Fery, who turned 24 on the day, told the Princess of Wales: "I know the whole family are all tennis fans, so I told her if her kids ever wanted to hit, I'm free." The remark came as the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived with George and Charlotte at the All England Club shortly after 15:00 BST, receiving a standing ovation as they entered the royal box.
“Arthur Fery invited Prince George and Princess Charlotte to play tennis after meeting them at Wimbledon.”
Catherine, patron of the All England Club, later presented the trophy to Jannik Sinner after the Italian defeated Alexander Zverev to retain his championship. Fery, who lost to Zverev in the semi-finals, was among those the royals greeted.
The Prince and Princess of Wales congratulated Fery on his run to the last four and wished him a happy birthday, accompanied by a birthday card. Fery said Catherine "wished me good luck for the rest of the year and congratulated me for these two weeks." He added it was "good to meet her finally."
Asked whether he thinks she will take him up on the offer, Fery said: "Let's see, I don't know. Let's see if I get the call up."
Fery arrived at the Championships as the world number 114, never having advanced beyond the second round of a Grand Slam. He defied expectations to reach the semi-finals, and will be confirmed as the new British number one, rising to 36th in the world rankings on Monday. He also takes home £900,000 in prize money.
Other royals watching from the box included Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman, and Lady Gabriella Kingston. They were joined by Australian actress Nicole Kidman, American actor Rami Malek, British singer Raye, and former world number one Stan Smith.
