Arthur Fery, the unlikely saviour of British tennis at Wimbledon
Born in France to French parents, Fery moved to England as a baby and has transformed British hopes at this year’s Wimbledon
Arthur Féry, Wimbledon 2026 | © Ch. Caillaud / PsNewz
On the opening day of this year’s Wimbledon, 10 out of 10 British players in action lost. It would have been 11 out of 11, but the light ran out when Jack Pinnington Jones was trailing in his match by two sets to love.
It was the worst day for British players at Wimbledon this century and the Lawn Tennis Association’s communications team on site drew its breath, ready for the incoming criticism. How could the LTA, which received around £48.6 million ($65 million) in 2025 from Wimbledon (they give 90 percent of their profit to the LTA under a long-standing agreement) not produce better players?
There were mitigating circumstances, not least, the injuries to Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu that took out the country’s two best players. Most of the 10 players beaten on day one played higher-ranked players; only Cam Norrie should definitely have won.
Someone had to step up. That someone was Arthur Fery, a 23-year-old Briton, born in France to French parents, who until this fortnight, had played in just four grand slam events.
Even his biggest supporters would not have expected this. He is just the sixth British man to make the semis at Wimbledon in the Open era and the first wildcard to make the last four since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Ivanisevic, it’s worth pointing out, won the title.
Grass-court pedigree
But in a sense, it’s not perhaps the biggest surprise in the world. The reason Fery received a wildcard was largely down to his grass-court performances this summer. Ranked 154 after Roland-Garros, he made the semis of the Birmingham Challenger Tour event and then beat Adrian Mannarino to reach the quarters at Queen’s Club, following it up by making round two in Eastbourne. By the time Wimbledon began, he was ranked 114.
Three years ago, Fery played Daniil Medvedev in the first round, when he was still at Stanford University, where he studied science, technology and society. “Though the Russian won in straight sets, he was impressed by what he saw. “Can he make it? For sure,” Medvedev said. “Will he make it? We never know. Maybe top hundred, maybe top 10. He needs to continue his way. I think he’s still on the way up, still young. Definitely has his chances.”
Even if he loses to Alexander Zverev in the semis on Friday, as logic would say he will, he will be ranked No 36, which makes him British No 1. A couple of wins on hard courts in the United States this summer and he’ll be seeded for the US Open.
It’s a remarkable rise, not least since at 5ft 9in, he is one of the shortest players on the Tour. Like many shorter players who make it into the top 100, he has almost flawless technique and his speed around the court makes up for his lack of natural power on serve, though he still packs a punch.
In some ways, British tennis is a little more used to this kind of incredible rise than most countries. Raducanu was one of the most unexpected grand slam winners when she triumphed at the US Open in 2021, a fourth-round run at Wimbledon earlier that summer the only sign of what she was capable of.
INCREDIBLE SELF-BELIEF
Fery does not lack for belief. In fact, that’s an understatement. It’s hard to think of anyone outside the top 100 who speaks the way he does, so convinced was he that he is going to make it. “I’ve always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world,” he said after his win over Cobolli.
Fery was born in Sevres, France, to French parents Loic and Olivia. His mother was a former professional tennis player, good enough to play singles at the French Open in 1991. His father, Loic, is a hedgefund manager who was formerly the owner of French football club Lorient. No wonder, then, that the French newspapers and TV are claiming him as one of their own.
“Arthur Fery, the Frenchie so British, qualifies for the semi-finals at Wimbledon,” one L’Equipe headline read.
The family moved to Wimbledon when Arthur was one month old, and he grew up playing for the local club, Westside, before progressing to Sutton, a high performance centre. A good junior, he earned a tennis scholarship to go to Stanford University, which boasts John McEnroe among its alumni. There he came under the guidance of former pro Paul Goldstein.
Inner drive and confidence
According to the ATP Tour’s website, Fery emailed Goldstein directly when he was looking to attend Stanford, an indication of his drive and confidence.
“Just an extraordinarily mature young man,” Goldstein said. “I noticed that at the time he got to campus at 18 years old. Really unfazed by the transition of coming from the UK, 9,000 miles away to a college campus for the first time. He was really unfazed by that transition and just managed it seamlessly. If anything, the words that come to mind are poise, composure and maturity.”
Those same words could be used to describe how Fery has played here this fortnight, from his first-round win over Damir Dzumhur, to his third-round win over Zizou Bergs and his fourth-round victory over Grigor Dimitrov, winning those latter two matches in a final-set tiebreak. His demolition of Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals was even more impressive.
It’s asking a lot for Fery to upset the odds and beat an in-form, uber-confident Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, with so much at stake. Fery is giving Zverev nine inches in height and years of experience but he’s not the sort of player to crumble.
Sunday July 12, by the way, is Fery’s 24th birthday. Winning Wimbledon would be the ultimate birthday present but in this post-Andy Murray era, with Draper and Raducanu absent, Fery stepped up to the plate and he’s owned it.
