The pop of a champagne cork from the Centre Court stands drifted through the air – and Flavio Cobolli complained it had put him off his serve. But nothing was going to stop Arthur Fery on the day the 23-year-old British wildcard stormed into the Wimbledon semi-finals, beating the ninth seed 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in a match that left the All England Club in disbelief.
Fery, who had won just two Grand Slam main-draw matches before this fortnight, is now the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since the Open era began in 1968. Only four men in tennis history have reached a Grand Slam men’s semi-final as a wildcard – Jimmy Connors (1991 US Open), Henri Leconte (1992 French Open) and Goran Ivanisevic (2001 Wimbledon) – and Fery has joined them. Of those, only Ivanisevic went on to win the title.
“British wildcard Arthur Fery, 23, beat ninth seed Flavio Cobolli to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, a historic feat.”
“I felt emotions that I’ve never experienced before in my life in that last game,” Fery said. “I have the crowd behind me here, which is a huge help.” The 15,000 fans on Centre Court, thousands more on Henman Hill – now being christened Arthur’s Seat – and those watching across the country erupted as Fery sealed the win. Champagne corks were popping throughout his remarkable three-set victory, a fitting soundtrack to what many are calling British tennis’ finest day since Andy Murray’s second Wimbledon title a decade ago.
The win guarantees Fery a cheque of £900,000 – which will increase if he beats German second seed Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semi-final. It has also propelled him to 36th in the world rankings, ensuring direct entry into the sport’s biggest tournaments for the foreseeable future. Asked about the financial windfall, Fery told BBC Sport in January: “I don’t really see results as a monetary value, I see it more as a result of a lot of work put in throughout the years. I can reinvest in my tennis.” His father, Loic, is an asset manager who previously owned a Ligue 1 football club.
Leading figures joined the applause. The Princess of Wales hailed a “fantastic achievement”, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also congratulated Fery. But the 23-year-old is not celebrating yet. He faces Zverev, the French Open champion, on Friday with a place in the Wimbledon final at stake – a prospect nobody saw coming when the tournament began.