British wildcard Arthur Fery stormed into the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday, brushing aside Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to continue his impressive run. The 23-year-old now faces world No. 2 and reigning French Open champion Alexander Zverev for a place in the final.
Murray's Influence on Fery's Game
Fery's breakthrough may come as little surprise given his past training sessions with two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. He previously credited the former world No. 1 with helping shape his game after admitting he "learned a lot" from practising alongside him.
"I've had the chance to play with Andy a few times over the past years," Fery said back in 2024. "Just playing with, you learn a lot, from the way he strikes the ball to how he carries himself on court. He's just a great, great role model for all young aspiring British players. Even just watching him go do his thing is really super helpful... We've had a few chats. He's very open."
Speaking ahead of Wimbledon last month, he added: "I grew up watching him win Grand Slams and he has had a massive influence on everyone in Britain. I've hit with him at the NTC (National Tennis Centre) and that is a bit surreal."
Fery's Composure on Court
Looking up to Murray has clearly paid off for Fery. While the Scot occasionally let his emotions get the better of him early in his career, he matured into one of the game's consummate professionals. Fery has displayed that same composure throughout his remarkable run to the semi-finals. He came through four successive multi-set battles against Damir Dzumhur, Otto Virtanen, Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov before taking his game to another level in the quarter-finals, sweeping aside Cobolli in straight sets.
Path to the Final
A far sterner challenge now awaits in the form of Zverev. Should Fery pull off another upset, he will face either world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the final — the Serbian icon who was once Murray's fiercest rival before the pair later teamed up in a player-coach partnership.
At 23, Fery is a year older than Murray was when the Scot reached his first Wimbledon semi-final. Murray lost in three successive Wimbledon semi-finals and one final before finally lifting the trophy in 2013. Fery, though, will be hoping to rewrite that script. Victory over Zverev would put him just one win away from a Wimbledon title — and perhaps give him the chance to show his former mentor how it is done.
