LONDON, July 9: British wildcard Arthur Fery continued his unlikely Wimbledon adventure with a trip to the semi-finals where he faces German seccond seed Alexander Zverev, who also wasted no time reaching uncharted territory at the All England Club on Wednesday.
After Novak Djokovic’s late-night five-set epic on Tuesday, the remaining quarter-finalists appeared keen to conserve energy in the midst of a heatwave as they raced through their matches on the famous lawns of southwest London.
Local favourite Fery became only the fourth male wildcard to reach the last four at a Grand Slam as the 23-year-old dismissed Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 to progress at a venue that is quite literally his backyard.
“I’ve always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world,” Fery told reporters, explaining that he has not left his bubble despite the national significance of his achievement growing.
“Obviously, a semi-finalist of Wimbledon is something else. I’ve taken it match by match. I haven’t looked ahead. I’ve just played every match as it is. Yeah, here I am.”
FERY AND HIS STANFORD CONNECTION
There’s also an American angle to the French-born British player who grew up five minutes from the All England Club and has reached the semifinals as a wild card at Wimbledon.
Arthur Fery honed his game by playing three years of college tennis for Stanford University, where he was a two-time All-American.
Now he’s the first former Stanford player to reach the last four at Wimbledon since John McEnroe’s eighth and final Wimbledon semifinal in 1992, when McEnroe was beaten by eventual champion Andre Agassi.
Stanford University coach Paul Goldstein flew in for the occasion and was watching inside Centre Court when Fery eliminated French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. “Arthur always displayed an emotional maturity and a wisdom beyond his years,” Goldstein told The Associated Press. “When I worked with him at school, it always felt like it was as much of a peer-to-peer relationship as it was coach-to-student relationship with a 25-year age gap between us.”
As a sophomore in 2021-22, Fery became Stanford’s first No. 1 ranked singles player since Bob Bryan nearly quarter century before him.
ZVEREV EYES RARE DOUBLE
A year ago Alexander Zverev found himself swallowed up by a dark hole following a shock first round exit from Wimbledon.
What a difference 12 months has made for the German. The tortured man who had repeatedly described his existence as being “lonely” and “needing therapy” just 12 months ago was all smiles on Wednesday as he reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the first time.
Breaking into the Grand Slam winner’s circle at the 41st attempt, when he won the French Open last month, has finally freed him from his demons and Zverev now stands just two wins away from joining a select group of players to have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year.
If he is to add his name to the list of six men who have achieved the feat in the professional era — a list that boasts Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz — he will not only have to overcome 114th-ranked British wildcard Arthur Fery but also a fervent home crowd. (Agencies)
