Arthur Fery is the fairytale of Wimbledon so far (Image: Getty)
Arthur Fery has emerged as the feel-good story of Wimbledon after the British wildcard captured the hearts of tennis fans with his gutsy displays at the All England Club. The 23-year-old – who grew up within walking distance of Wimbledon – has garnered widespread admiration for his composure, storming into the semi-finals after being handed a wildcard entry to the tournament.
He faces world No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Centre Court on Friday. Fery has smashed through five rounds at SW19 so far, beating Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals to book a spot in the final four. From his privileged family background and well-known father to his climb up the ATP rankings and reports surrounding his personal life, here is everything you need to know about Britain’s latest Wimbledon sensation.
How has Arthur Fery reached the Wimbledon semi-finals?
Fery has savoured the most remarkable fortnight of his career at Wimbledon, introducing himself to a wider audience with a string of commanding performances. After getting past Damir Dzumhur and Otto Virtanen, he first truly turned heads by defeating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in a gruelling five-set battle that stretched beyond four-and-a-half hours.
During the encounter, Fery endured three separate nosebleeds as temperatures soared, yet refused to allow the stoppages to hamper his momentum. He then followed up that extraordinary victory with yet another outstanding display against former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, grinding through another five-set marathon to advance to the latter stages of the tournament.
The Wimbledon crowd swiftly embraced him, chanting “Here comes the Fery” as the home favourite extended his fairytale run. His displays sparked considerable excitement around SW19, with numerous supporters urging the Brit to prolong his extraordinary journey.
He then defeated Cobolli in the quarter-finals, securing a 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 win to make it to the final four to face world No. 3 Zverev.
Fery’s Wimbledon run has been a dream come true (Image: Getty)
Why does Arthur Fery keep getting nosebleeds?
One of the more peculiar talking points during Fery’s Wimbledon campaign has been his persistent nosebleeds.
The British wildcard endured three nosebleeds during his marathon triumph over Bergs, with play continually stopped while he received attention from medical personnel. Despite the disruptions and the baking conditions, Fery fought through the five-set encounter to secure a memorable triumph.
EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Speaking afterwards, Fery suggested the scorching weather had contributed but acknowledged the problem is not a new one. “I’ve had nosebleeds since I was young,” he explained. “When it’s hot and dry, it tends to happen more often.”
The 23-year-old has handled some medical issues at Wimbledon (Image: Getty)
Nosebleeds are relatively common among athletes, particularly during strenuous exercise in hot or dry conditions. Heavy breathing, dehydration and increased blood flow can cause the delicate blood vessels inside the nose to rupture more easily.
Fortunately for Fery, the issue has not stopped him from delivering the finest tennis of his career, with the Wimbledon crowd witnessing him overcome the repeated stoppages to maintain his dream run at the All England Club.
What is Arthur Fery’s world ranking?
Born in France but brought up in south-west London, Fery has represented Great Britain throughout his professional career. The right-hander honed his game at Westside Tennis Club, just a stone’s throw from the All England Club, before going on to attend King’s College School in Wimbledon.
Fery is ranked 111 places lower than his next opponent (Image: Getty)
Rather than heading straight into the professional game, Fery accepted a tennis scholarship to Stanford University in California, where he studied Science, Technology and Society while continuing to sharpen his skills on court. During his spell in the United States, he was coached by former ATP player Paul Goldstein and also benefited from the guidance of legendary American doubles brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.
Fery has steadily climbed the ATP rankings and arrived at Wimbledon ranked world No. 114, with his impressive run at SW19 seeing that significantly skyrocket. He’s up to 36th in the live rankings and could reach as high as 13th.
Who are Arthur Fery’s parents?
Off the court, Fery hails from one of the most affluent families in British tennis. His father, Loïc Fery, is a French businessman and hedge fund manager best known for owning French football club FC Lorient, where he’s now solely president after being bought out. Through his investment company Chenavari, he has amassed a considerable fortune, with reports placing his wealth at around £275million.
Fery’s father Loic owns a football club (Image: Getty)
His mother, Olivia, also boasts strong tennis connections. A former professional player herself, she competed in the doubles draw at the French Open before later moving into business development for the Lawn Tennis Association.
Despite his privileged background, those who have collaborated with Fery have uniformly commended his dedication and down-to-earth nature, with previous coaches characterising him as mature, imaginative and remarkably self-reliant.
The 23-year-old has landed himself some wealth of his own following his dream run to the semi-finals. The wildcard has taken his Wimbledon earnings up to £900,000 with a win over Cabolli on Wednesday.
To put this into context, Fery had previously earned under £650,000 from his professional tennis career. There’s another £900,000 on the line against Zverev in the semis.
Fery is two matches away from sporting immortality (Image: Getty)
The prize for winning Wimbledon has risen to £3.6m, a 20% increase from last year. This means that Fery will smash some millionaire heights if he does achieve the fairytale ending everyone is rooting for.
Does Arthur Fery have a girlfriend?
Fery maintains a low profile when it comes to his private life. He was previously romantically linked in media reports to Honor Millard, a food content creator who goes by “The Honorable Chef” online.
The duo are understood to have been friends since their schooldays and have appeared together in photographs on social media. Following her identification by the Daily Mail as Fery’s rumoured girlfriend, she shared on Instagram: “Welcome to all my new Daily Mail friends.”
Millard has yet to openly acknowledge the status of her love life, but it is understood that Fery is single at the time of writing.