British tennis star Arthur Fery will aim to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the first time when he faces Finland's Otto Virtanen on Thursday. The 23-year-old, ranked world No. 114, is one of only three Britons remaining in the men's singles after the opening three days at SW19.
Fery's First-Round Victory
Fery defeated Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round on Tuesday, securing his place in the second round for the second consecutive year. Jan Choinski and Jacob Fearnley are the other British players still in contention for the third major of the season.
The Fery Family: Football and Tennis Connections
Arthur Fery's father, Loic Fery, is the owner of Ligue 1 club Lorient, which competes in the same division as Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Nice. Loic, who has a net worth of £275 million, purchased the club in 2009 at the age of 35.
Loic gained valuable insight from former Sunderland owner Ellis Short, whose son played junior tennis with Arthur. A friendship with ex-Arsenal boss and now FIFA official Arsene Wenger also proved advantageous for Loic. Speaking in 2021, Loic said: "I learned from Ellis, seeing everything that he went through with Sunderland and those misadventures. His son played some tennis with Arthur so I got to know him."
Loic also considered investing in Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United before settling on Lorient. He added: "I looked at investing in Sheffield Wednesday and also Leeds United, and got as far as making an on-site visit. But I thought Lorient was better value from the point of developing a business and it has been a good story so far. When I took over the club, it was in a bad financial situation with negative equity, but we have been able to balance the books over the past 11 seasons."
Arthur's Mother, Olivia, a Former Tennis Pro
Arthur's mother, Olivia, had a notable tennis career, winning two singles titles and finishing with a 33-25 record in singles competition before retiring. She also competed in the 1991 French Open.
