Arthur Fery, the 23-year-old British tennis wildcard, has garnered support from a galaxy of stars as he aims to make Wimbledon history by reaching the final on his birthday. Fery will face world No. 3 and French Open champion Alexander Zverev, 29, in the semi-final on Centre Court on Friday. Currently ranked 114th, Fery is guaranteed to rise to world No. 36 after the tournament.
Celebrity Backing at Wimbledon
Lily James, 37, who was in the Royal Box, expressed her excitement: "It's just, so exciting to see how well he's doing and just, the games were so tense. Dimitrov was incredible too and then yesterday (Wednesday) was just wild. It's so exciting. I love (Wimbledon) so much. I'm so excited to be here with my mum. I came here a few years ago with my grandmother and so it's such a special occasion and so, so, so beloved."
Olympic rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave, 64, also threw his support behind Fery. "I've competed for Britain most of my life, so anybody competing for Great Britain or the home country has my support, so yes, very much supporting England, and Fery's been doing extremely well and playing a lot above what was expected, so it's great to see him and wish him the best of luck," he said.
Financial Rewards and Career Impact
If Fery wins the Challenge Cup on Sunday, he will collect £3.6 million in prize money. By reaching the semi-final, he has already secured £900,000. The Stanford graduate has earned £650,000 during his ATP Tour career since his Wimbledon debut in 2023. Experts predict he could land lucrative corporate deals worth between £3.5 million and £6.6 million.
Dame Kelly Holmes also voiced her support: "When there's any British players you've got to get behind them here. I mean this is the iconic venue, you always want to get behind the British players and I just hope they just keep going and going and going."
