Arthur Fery made history at Wimbledon on Wednesday, becoming only the second wildcard in the Open Era to reach the men's singles semi-finals. The 23-year-old British player defeated Flavio Cobolli in straight sets on Centre Court, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3.
Fery, ranked 114th in the world, emulated Goran Ivanisevic's 2001 feat. After the match, he said: "It seems to get better and better every match. No, I just can't believe it. It's incredible playing on Centre Court for the second time, second win, I can't believe it."
Viewer Frustration Over BBC Scheduling
Despite Fery's triumph, many BBC viewers expressed anger over the delayed broadcast of match highlights. Live play ended around 7pm, but the Today at Wimbledon programme did not air until 11.05pm on BBC Two.
One viewer posted on X: "Why are Wimbledon tennis highlights on after 11pm tonight on BBC2? We have a British wildcard through to the semifinals and some of us have been at work all day!" Another added: "Really narked me off, came in hoping to watch it & nothing."
A third complained: "Yes, there was nothing on after 8pm about Wimbledon. Strange." Others criticised the quality of the highlights show, with one calling it "nothing more than a reel of highlights with a voice but zero analysis."
Editorial Decisions Questioned
Further frustration arose because Fery's match was not the lead item on the programme. Both women's quarter-finals were featured ahead of it. One viewer said: "Has the BBC lost all sense of news and editorial values. Watching the Wimbledon highlights on catch-up and the Fery match is third on the roster. He's British and he's in the semi-finals FFS."
Fery, who beat Cobolli earlier this year in Australia, said: "That gave me a little boost of confidence. I just kept going. I was very nervous beforehand, but I kept going until the finish line." He also admitted: "I'm definitely not [calm] on the inside! That last game, I felt emotions that I hadn't experienced before in my life."
Semi-Final Line-Up
The men's semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, July 10. Fery will face second seed Alexander Zverev, while top seed Jannik Sinner meets 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
Wimbledon coverage continues on BBC One and BBC Two, with streaming on BBC iPlayer.
