British tennis fans are braving a heatwave for a chance to see if the Arthur Fery-tale can write a new chapter at Wimbledon. Fans gripped by Fery fever began lining up in the Wimbledon queue in the early hours of Thursday, almost 36 hours before the British wildcard faces Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.
Fans Camp Out for a Glimpse of Fery
Among those hoping to get tickets to see Fery on Centre Court is 66-year-old Geoff Hughes, from Cheshire. He said: “[Fery] looks like he’s been playing on Centre Court all his life. He appears to have a wonderful tennis temperament, nothing seems to faze him. He’s fearless, he just takes it all in his stride.”
Geoff, who has camped in the Wimbledon queue for the duration of each of the last 20 championships, knows a thing or two about what it takes to win the Grand Slam and said Fery “has got a chance.” “It’s sport, anything can happen,” he added.
Dozens of Tents in Wimbledon Park
Dozens of tents were in Wimbledon Park on Thursday morning as eager Fery fans started to gather. Enthusiasts attempted to shelter from the blistering heat under trees as the temperature approached the mid-30s Celsius.
Siblings Connor Cook and Emily Cook were among those sitting in the shade, having arrived at 06:30am with hopes of watching the local hero who grew up just down the road from the All England Club. “It’s crazy,” said Emily, 25. “He came in as a wildcard and now he’s in the semi-finals!” Connor, 26, added: “It’s been a while since we’ve had an English guy [in the last four], so I thought we’d come and show our support.”
'Incredible' Fery Wins Fans Over
Claire Jarvis, 33, travelled down from Glasgow with hopes of seeing “incredible” Fery. “I think he’s amazing, he’s just came out of nowhere and then the match with [Flavio] Cobolli, he just ruled that. There was no stopping him,” she said.
Ticket Challenges and Arthur's Seat
Over the final four days of Wimbledon, tickets to Centre Court are no longer available in the queue. It means overnight campers face an anxious wait to see if they can secure a seat to watch Fery via the ticket resale system. Fans will otherwise have to descend onto Henman Hill — or Arthur’s Seat as some have dubbed it — to roar the 23-year-old on.
Fery's Remarkable Run
Fery, who beat Cobolli in straight sets in the last round, is only the second wildcard to reach the Wimbledon men’s semi-finals. The first was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 when the Croatian star went on to lift the trophy. Fery’s match against second seed Zverev will only be his sixth Grand Slam main draw appearance. If he wins, he will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in the final.
The world number 114 is guaranteed to rise to no lower than 36 in the rankings following his heroics in SW19, which has seen him bank at least £900,000 — more than his entire career earnings so far (£650,000).
Early Promise
Members at Fery’s first tennis club in Wimbledon said the French-born star was a “phenomenon” at a young age, while his coach at Stanford University, Paul Goldstein, described him as a “wonderful young man.”
