BBC pundit and former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey has predicted that British wildcard Arthur Fery's remarkable run at the All England Club will come to an abrupt end against Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. Fery, 23, faces French Open champion Zverev on Centre Court on Friday for a place in the Wimbledon final.
Fery's remarkable rise
Fery, ranked outside the top-100 before Wimbledon, has taken full advantage of his wildcard entry. He overcame two five-set marathons in his previous two rounds before an emphatic straight-sets win over world number ten Flavio Cobolli. The French-born Brit will be at least world number 36 and the new British number one after the tournament.
Despite being impressed by Fery's performances, Querrey believes the dream run will end against world number three Zverev. 'Prior to that match I would have bet every dollar I have that Flavio Cobolli would beat Arthur Fery in straight sets,' Querrey said on the Nothing Major podcast. 'That's how confident I was. But I'm blown away by Fery, he really stepped up with the whole crowd behind him.'
Querrey's prediction
Querrey noted Fery's strengths on grass but predicted a one-sided semi-final. 'Fery is less than 6ft tall but the grass helps him because it allows him to get more out of his serve. He's a really good mover, he's crafty, he anticipates well. I literally did not think he was even going to come close in this match and I was dead wrong. He's had a great draw in my opinion but you can only beat what's in front of you and he's stepped up time and time again. It's a dream run. Zverev is playing great on the grass right now – he's playing Arthur Fery and he's going to beat him and be in the final. Zverev's not losing a set against Fery, there's no way he loses a set here. The dream run has been phenomenal, I've loved it, but he can't win a set I don't think.'
Cash's warning for Zverev
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash also expects Zverev to advance but warned that failing to reach his first Wimbledon final would be a 'choke'. 'We saw against Cobolli that Fery was always in the rallies against serve,' Cash said. 'But with Zverev he could go two service games without touching the ball. That will unsettle his game and puts a lot of pressure on Fery's serve. It's a complete contrast to what we saw against Cobolli but all the pressure is on Zverev. This is his biggest opportunity to reach a Wimbledon final and if he doesn't take it then he'd be choking.'
Fery's mindset
Fery remains focused on his process after his win over Cobolli. 'I felt emotions that I've never experienced before in my life in that last game,' he said. 'I don't know what I'll do over the next couple of days, I've never been in this position before! I guess we will figure it all out as we go. I'm just going to keep going. I've been doing a great job for the past 10 days, so I'm just going to do the same thing and see where that takes me.'
Defending champion Jannik Sinner faces seven-time winner Novak Djokovic in the other Wimbledon semi-final.
