British wildcard Arthur Fery had the honour of meeting Queen Camilla before and after the most significant victory of his career at Wimbledon. The Queen crossed paths with Fery and opponent Flavio Cobolli moments before they walked out onto Centre Court for their quarter-final and then personally congratulated the world No.114 following his remarkable straight-sets triumph.
Fery's Birthday Wish
Fery, who is set to rocket up to 36th in the world rankings and claim the British No.1 spot, shared a charming exchange with the Queen, letting her know that his birthday falls on Sunday, the day of the men's singles final.
The wildcard needed just two hours and 14 minutes to dispatch the ninth seed 6-4 7-6 (4) 6-0 in only his second appearance on Centre Court. He is now daring to dream of going all the way and marking his 24th birthday by competing in the championship match — something he candidly shared with the Queen herself.
Meeting the Queen
Recalling their chance first encounter, he said: "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. Playing in front of tennis legends and now the Queen, it's special."
The pair met again after the match, with the semi-finalist adding: "She was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. 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 Performance
Fery produced his finest display of the tournament in front of the Queen, who was seated in the Royal Box alongside All England Club chair Deborah Jevans. It was the first time in this year's tournament that he had secured victory in straight sets. In his previous two matches, Fery had fought back from losing positions to snatch victory in fifth-set tiebreaks, an experience that bolstered his belief as he faced Cobolli.
"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 said. "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."
