Wimbledon fans have renamed the famous hill 'Arthur's Seat' as they flock to watch British wildcard Arthur Fery take on second seed Alexander Zverev in the men's singles semi-final on Centre Court. With temperatures expected to hit 31°C, spectators arrived equipped with sun cream and water, some queuing overnight for a chance to see the historic match.
Overnight Queues and Celebrity Presence
Hal Cowling, 27, and his girlfriend joined the queue at 6.30pm on Thursday, securing ground passes and hoping for resale Centre Court tickets. 'Fery is going to be the exciting one, wild card entry and a Brit,' said Cowling, a patent lawyer. The couple aim to see Fery alongside matches featuring Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
Celebrities in the royal box include Vogue's Dame Anna Wintour, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, director Baz Luhrmann, journalist Louis Theroux, actors Martin Freeman and Damian Lewis, footballer Virgil van Dijk, and former BBC director-general Tim Davie.
Fans Rename the Hill
Terri Banks, 60, and her husband Adrian, 54, opted for the hill despite having Court One tickets. 'Because of Djokovic and Sinner, and obviously Arthur, Brit, we've decided to come on the hill,' said Mrs Banks, an NHS worker. 'The first wild card in 25 years, and he's done something brilliant.' Mr Banks, a transport manager, added: 'We could rename this Arthur's Seat tonight.' The couple brought sandwiches, champagne, and sun cream.
Capacity Crowds and Resale Queue
By 11am, the grounds grew busy, and by 3pm, the hill reached its 3,500 capacity, with staff managing queues. The resale queue for Centre Court also hit capacity around 11.15am, though tickets for Court One remained available. Retired police officer Gill Nolan, 59, planned to stay on the hill watching Fery, while her friend queued for resale tickets.
Teachers Jen McMillan, 37, and Anna Smrckova, 34, flew from Scotland on Thursday evening without sleep, joining the queue at 4.20am to watch Fery and Djokovic.
Fery's Historic Run
Fery, ranked world number 114, faces Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, at 1.30pm. He aims to become just the second men's wildcard to reach a Grand Slam final, following Goran Ivanišević's 2001 Wimbledon win.
