Arthur Fery has reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the British-French tennis player has spoken out on his nationality amid questions over where his allegiance lies. The 23-year-old has emerged as the surprise success story of this year's Championships, becoming Britain's biggest hope for a Grand Slam title since Emma Raducanu captured the US Open in 2021 in remarkable fashion.
Fery's Nationality in Focus
Even so, Fery's nationality has attracted considerable attention. The wildcard possesses both British and French citizenship. Although he was born in France to French parents, he moved to London as a baby and has competed for Britain throughout his professional career. While he remains proud of his French background, Fery believes England is now unquestionably his home. 'I feel very British. I live here. All my best friends live here. I went to school here, I train here,' he said. 'Obviously my parents are still French and we speak French with my cousins and my family who still live in France. But my roots are very much tied to London now. I've now lived here a long time. Maybe 10 years ago I'd have said I felt more French than English but now that's not the case at all.'
Family Background and Early Career
Arthur's father, Loic Frey, is a businessman who serves as president of French football club Lorient. In 2023, Loic was listed as the 398th wealthiest individual in France, with an estimated fortune of £275million. Arthur's mother, Olivia, also enjoyed a career as a professional tennis player and appeared at the French Open during the 1990s. Despite being born in Sevres, close to Paris, Fery's family moved to Wimbledon when he was only one month old. He later attended King's College School in the area. Although he initially represented France at Under-12 level, he eventually switched to competing for Britain.
Fery became a professional in 2021 and was awarded a wildcard for Wimbledon qualifying. He narrowly missed out on the main draw after losing in the final qualifying round. He made his Grand Slam debut at the All England Club in 2023, where he was eliminated in the opening round. The same outcome followed in 2024, before he finally claimed his first Grand Slam match win a year later by defeating Australia's Alexei Popyrin in four sets to reach the second round at Wimbledon.
Breakthrough at Wimbledon
Earlier this season, Fery made his first appearance at the Australian Open but was knocked out in the second round. He was then unable to qualify for the French Open before enjoying a spectacular breakthrough campaign at Wimbledon. Following victories over Damir Dzumhur, Otto Virtanen and Zizou Bergs, Fery encountered his biggest challenge so far against multiple Grand Slam semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round. Their contest lasted five sets, with Fery securing victory by winning the deciding tie-break. In the quarter-finals, he comfortably defeated world No. 9 Flavio Cobolli in straight sets, finishing the match with an emphatic 6-0 final set.
Upcoming Semi-Final Challenge
Awaiting him in the semi-finals is his sternest examination yet – reigning French Open champion and world No. 2 Alexander Zverev. A win would put Fery into the Wimbledon final, where he would meet either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. The most recent British man to claim the Wimbledon singles crown was Andy Murray, who triumphed in 2013 before winning the title again in 2016. Before Murray's achievements, the last British men's singles champion was Fred Perry in 1936.
