British wildcard Arthur Fery has revealed the charming comment he made to Queen Camilla after the biggest win of his career at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old met the Queen both before and after his men's singles quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli on Centre Court, where he triumphed in straight sets 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 in just two hours and 14 minutes.
Meeting the Queen
Fery and Cobolli encountered Queen Camilla moments before stepping onto Centre Court. She introduced herself to both players and later congratulated Fery after his victory. Reflecting on their first meeting, Fery said: "Yeah, we were getting ready to come on and she came to say hello, she introduced herself to both me and Flavio. It's obviously an honour to play in front of her. Great to meet her. She had some really kind words to me at the end, as well."
Birthday Wish
After the match, the Queen waited for Fery to offer her congratulations. He told her: "I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her. She just said, 'Congratulations, keep going'. I told her it was my birthday on Sunday, so it would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday." Fery's 24th birthday falls on the day of the men's singles final, and he hopes to celebrate by competing for the championship.
Rise in Rankings
The victory over the ninth seed will propel Fery from world No. 114 to No. 36 in the rankings, making him the new British No. 1 next week. It was his first straight-sets win of the tournament, having come from behind in his previous two matches, both decided by fifth-set tiebreaks.
Confidence Boost
Fery acknowledged the challenging conditions, saying: "It was hotter today, and I felt it definitely. It was good I only played two hours and a bit, which was nice for the recovery." He added: "I feel tired. I feel mentally tired, physically. That's been the case for the past five days. That's also something that's really grown my confidence. I now feel like I can play even when I'm tired, even when I'm stressed. In any conditions, I feel confident in my game and I know that I can just go out there and compete."
Fery's performance in front of the Queen, who sat in the Royal Box alongside All England Club chair Deborah Jevans, marked a career highlight. He now advances to the Wimbledon semi-finals, continuing his remarkable run as a wildcard.
