In a sport where Cinderella runs are few and far between, it’s only fitting that the latest tennis player to pull off a storybook run has a name that sounds an awful lot like “fairy tale.”
Arthur Féry, a 23-year-old representing Great Britain, became just the second wild card to make the men’s semifinals at Wimbledon with his quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Flavio Cobolli. Backed by the passionate home crowd, Féry took down the 24-year-old Italian in straight sets, 6–4, 7–6 (7–4), 6–0.
The victory is just the latest in an improbable run for the world’s No. 114-ranked player, who was an awarded a wild card spot in the main Wimbeldon draw just before the tournament got underway. He joins Goran Ivanišević, who went onto win the tournament in 2001, as the only wild-card entry to make a run this deep at the All England Club.
Féry will take on No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, a round loaded with Grand Slam champions including No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 7 Novak Djokovic. But before we look ahead at what awaits the hometown hero in the next round, let’s take a look back at how he got here.
Who Is Arthur Féry?
Arthur Féry was born in Paris, but moved to London shortly after he was born in 2002. Tennis seemed a logical choice given that his mother, Olivia, was a former professional player herself and the fact that he attended a private school in Wimbledon.
From there, Féry went to Stanford for three years before beginning his professional career. Though he began to get early opportunities at Wimbledon in doubles, it took until 2023 for him to earn a spot in the singles’ main draw. He spent much of his time playing in ATP Challenger events, the level below the main tour, where he has won ten titles.
Féry did start to take a step up in 2026 after recovering from an arm injury. He played for the first time at the Australian Open, where he made the second round, and also debuted in his first ATP Masters 1000 event at the Miami Open. Having reached a career-high ranking of No. 114, he earned a wild-card invitation to Wimbledon, where the magic really began.
How Did Féry Get Here?
Though the men’s draw may have been without 2023 and ‘24 champion Carlos Alcaraz, the field was still loaded with talent and the rest of the semifinal participants have won nine of the past 16 Grand Slam titles (Alcaraz has won the other seven). But without the 23-year-old Spaniard, a slightly more favorable path through the tournament opened up—a gap that Féry was able to fill with flying colors.
Féry opened up his run at the All England Club with back-to-back four-set victories against Bosnia’s Damir Džumhur and Finland’s Otto Virtanen, the latter of whom upset No. 4 Ben Shelton in the first round. In both matches, Féry dropped the first set before storming back to take the next three.
Next up were consecutive five-set matches, both of which Féry won in fifth-set tiebreaks. The second such victory came against Grigor Dmitrov, a former world No. 3 and three-time Grand Slam semifinalist.
Seeing as he’d played 10 sets and three tiebreaks across his previous two matches, Wednesday’s result was rather comfortable. The victory over Cobolli did mark a milestone, however—Féry’s first-ever win over a top-10 player.
Here’s a look at Féry’s recent results, round-by-round:
Men’s Singles:
First round:
vs. D. Džumhur (3–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–0)
Second round:
vs. O. Virtanen (5–7, 7–6(3), 6–3, 6–3)
Third round:
vs. Z. Bergs (2–6, 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(3), 7–6(5))
Fourth round:
vs. G. Dmitrov (7–5, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7))
Quarterfinals:
vs. No. 9 Flavio Cobolli (6–4, 7–6(4), 6–0)
What Will Féry Get for Such a Deep Run at a Grand Slam?
No matter what happens in Friday’s semifinal against Zverev, Féry’s showing at the All England Club will drastically change his standing in the tennis world. As of now, Féry will make the jump up to No. 36 in the ATP rankings, earning him the highest rank among men’s British players in the world.
He’ll also receive a handsome payday. With his spot in the semifinals secure, Féry will receive £900,000 ($1.21 million USD). That more than doubles his previous career earnings of £647,708 ($868,053 USD).
Féry’s name will also be etched among some of the most well-regarded British players for his run at the nation’s home Grand Slam. Cameron Norrie was the last Brit to make the semifinals in 2022, but before that, Andy Murray (a two-time champion in ‘13 and ‘16 and seven-time semifinalist) had been the last to make it to the penultimate round since Tim Henman did so in 2002.
When Are the Men’s Wimbledon Semifinals?
Féry will have a day off before he takes the court against Zverev, the 2026 French Open champion, which would seem advantageous given the amount of tennis he’s played over the past two weeks. The two are scheduled to play Friday, July 10 with No. 1 Jannik Sinner facing 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal. The start time for both matches remains TBD.
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