Arthur Fery has burst onto the scene at Wimbledon, keeping British hopes alive with a remarkable run to the quarterfinals as a wild card.
Ranked No.114, the 23-year-old—who grew up just five minutes from the All England Club before taking his talents to Stanford University—was relatively unknown to the wider tennis world.
Taylor Fritz, who reached his third consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal on Monday, was one of the few who already knew about Fery’s potential.
During a training block in London in late 2024, the American spent much of the week practicing with the Brit and quickly came away impressed.
“I know a good bit about Arthur,” Fritz said. “I went to London before the 2024 World Tour Finals, and I did a training week there prior to Turin. I practiced with him most of the week.”
Fritz says he took more than a few lumps during those practice sessions.
“I was playing well,” he said. “I made finals of Turin the next week. I felt pretty good about my game. He was beating me, like, every day. I was like, ‘Yeah, this guy’s really good. This guy can play.’”
What stood out most?
“He had a good forehand for his size. Unbelievable serve. Like I said, we were playing sets, baseline games. He was cooking me pretty consistently for the week,” Fritz said. “I knew that I was playing good tennis, so it’s not surprising to me that he’s having results and also taking advantage of a draw that’s opened up a bit. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he’s winning. I’ve known since then that he can play.”
Fery kept his fairy-tale run alive with a 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over Grigor Dimitrov to set up a quarterfinal clash with Flavio Cobolli.
“I think he just went and grabbed the match when the important moments came through,” Dimitrov said. “He went for it.”
