Arthur Fery, who entered as a wildcard participant in Wimbledon 2026, shocked everyone by booking his place in the semi-finals of the competition. On Wednesday, July 8, the 23-year-old defeated ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0 and became only the first menโs wild card participant in 25 years to reach the last four in the tournament’s history.
Notably, Fery entered this year’s Championships ranked No. 114 in the world but has emerged as one of the standout performers of the fortnight. After eliminating Grigor Dimitrov in an earlier round, the Briton produced another commanding display on Centre Court to end Cobolli’s campaign in straight sets.
His achievement places him alongside Goran Ivanisevic, whose memorable wild card campaign culminated in the Wimbledon title in 2001, as the only men’s wildcards to have reached the semi-finals.
Feryโs Wimbledon fairytale
Fery’s connection with Wimbledon stretches back to childhood. Born in Sevres, France, on July 12, 2002, he moved to London as an infant and grew up in Wimbledon, just minutes from the All England Club. He studied at King’s College School before choosing the collegiate route in the United States, joining Stanford University in 2020 instead of immediately turning professional.
During three seasons at Stanford, Fery established himself among the leading college players in the country. He became a two-time ITA All-American, earned the 2023 Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year award and climbed to No. 1 in the national collegiate singles rankings in 2022, becoming Stanford’s first player to top those rankings since Bob Bryan in 1998. He also compiled a 58-16 singles record while contributing in doubles.
Speaking earlier in the tournament, Fery described playing Wimbledon as a “full-circle moment” after growing up watching the Championships from the stands.
Now, the local player who grew up five minutes from Centre Court stands one victory away from reaching his first Wimbledon final, extending one of the most remarkable breakthrough campaigns of this year’s Championships.
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