Arthur Fery will return to Wimbledon's Centre Court on Wednesday to contest his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final. The world No.114 faces ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, whom he beat in Melbourne earlier this year. The wildcard has shown no nerves on court this fortnight, coming back from behind in his last two matches to win in a decisive 10-point tiebreak.
Cliff-Jumping to Conquer Fear
Fery used to spend his summer holidays jumping off cliffs into the water, and admitted it helped him overcome his fears. He said: "I don't feel like I'm a massive risk taker in terms of my personality. I quite like control in what I'm doing. But I did use those kinds of things at one point to kind of work on losing the fear."
The British No.3 stunned Cobolli on the 10,000-strong John Cain Arena in the first round of January's Australian Open after coming through qualifying, while the Italian was dealing with stomach issues. Reflecting on that straight-set victory, Fery said: "I'm expecting it to be very, very difficult and different to Australia. I'm sure he's going to be at 100 per cent of his capacities here, which maybe he wasn't quite 100 per cent in Australia. I played really well. Felt like I dominated the match. So we'll use that experience for Wednesday."
Cobolli and Fritz Weigh In
No.9 seed Cobolli added: "Australia, I was sick. Of course, Arthur is an amazing player, but that match I couldn't play."
And the Wimbledon resident has already impressed another experienced talent in Taylor Fritz. The world No.7 spent a week training with Fery before the 2024 ATP Finals and said: "He was beating me every day. I was like, 'Yeah, this guy's really good. This guy can play'. He had a good forehand for his size. Unbelievable serve. We were playing sets. He was cooking me pretty consistently for the week. It doesn't surprise me at all that he's winning. I've known since then that he can play."
Coach's Perspective
Fery's coach, Jeroen Benard, also hasn't been surprised by his charge's run. The Dutchman said: "I know how well he can play in practice. That it now all comes together at Wimbledon, in his backyard, that's a dream."
Fery has come from behind to win his last two matches, and Benard explained: "He loves the pressure. That's something I see with him. In Australia, I was more nervous to go on that big court than he was. He really likes the magnitude of a match, a big stadium. It's something that probably he's born with. Both match tiebreaks, he played to win, and that says something about his character. He's a quiet person, but when he's on the court, he's definitely there to compete hard and win."
Off-Court Calm
In the midst of his breakout run, Fery has been playing cards with his family at home – and of course, keeping up with the World Cup. But his coach says the British wildcard is doing nothing differently than he would at a low-level event. Benard, 35, added: "Every morning when he gets treated, we are watching highlights of the football. It's nothing different than what I would say if we are playing a Challenger in Croatia, we're doing the same things. We talk about tennis, about sports, about life in general, like you try to do with a 23-year-old."
Fery, who lives minutes from the All England Club, turns 24 on Sunday – the day of the men's singles final. And it would be the cherry on top of the birthday cake if the wildcard could go all the way. The SW19 local said: "I haven't had time to think about that. It'd be cool as well. It's cool to be in quarters, it'd be even cooler to be in semis, and even cooler to be in the final."
At 5'9", Fery is the shortest man left in the draw, but he doesn't see his height as a setback. He added: "I feel like I serve quite well for my height, and I feel like I compensate in other areas with my movement. Notably, I feel like I move really well, and that's probably due to me being smaller. There's been lots of examples of small players doing well, and Wimbledon, the grass now is not as fast as it was before, so I think all the surfaces are a bit more similar than they were maybe 20 years ago. I don't feel like it's a disadvantage."
