British wildcard Arthur Fery never imagined himself as a Wimbledon quarter‑finalist, but after startlingly beating Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16, the 23‑year‑old is now aiming for a semi‑final showdown with Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. Ranked 114th in the world, Fery has become an unlikely contender, and analyst Jamie Murray acknowledges that the Englishman still starts as an underdog given the gap in ranking and top‑level experience. “He has proven to be a great grass‑court player and poses a lot of different questions to opponents,” Murray added.
Use sharp movement and volley well
Much has been made of 5ft 9in Fery’s stature, given he is shorter than most of his peers on the ATP Tour. While the Wimbledon grass often suits “servebots” – tall players who send down flurries of aces and unreturnable first serves – Fery has needed to use other weapons. His athleticism is one of his greatest strengths, enabling him to keep points alive and come forward at opportune times. “Arthur is one of the best at retrieving balls and staying in the points,” said Dimitrov’s coach Jamie Delgado. “When you’re that height, your timing has to be really good – which Arthur’s is. He can hit the ball at different heights and mix the pace well.”
Fery has won 127 of the 201 volleys which he has hit at this year’s Wimbledon [BBC Sport]
Fery’s nimbleness means he is able to spring forward to finish points with volleys at the net. He has won 78% of serve and volley points, and 63% of points overall at the net – the second highest percentage in the men’s draw. “That’s been one of his biggest strengths this tournament,” said seven‑time major doubles champion Jamie Murray. “He’s played over 200 points which finished at the net and won a very high percentage.”
‘Crush and rush’ to take time from Cobolli
Fery is ranked as the best mover among the men’s quarter‑finalists, just ahead of Cobolli and top seed Jannik Sinner. Cobolli, 24, who spent time on Roma’s books as a promising footballer, uses his athleticism to move into position and unleash his heavy forehand. “Arthur needs to put Cobolli under a lot of pressure and stop him using his forehand,” said Alex Ward, the LTA men’s national coach who has been helping Fery. “He can use his backhand down the line because Cobolli likes to use his forehand from the backhand corner quite a lot.”
Murray thinks Fery needs to “crush and rush” Cobolli’s second serve – return aggressively then move quickly to the net – so the world number 10 does not have time to settle on his next shot. “Returning serve and coming forward forces an opponent to come up with a passing shot straight off the return of serve,” Murray explained. “By implementing this strategy, it will neutralise Cobolli’s ability to move around the court and steal points.”
Cobolli has enjoyed a career‑best season after winning a third ATP Tour title, reaching his first major final and cracking the top 10. Dropping sets in his opening three rounds hinted at some vulnerability, but he elevated his game to sweep aside Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
Show he belongs in a Wimbledon quarter-final
Those who know Fery best describe someone who possesses an abundance of self‑belief. Fighting back from a set behind in all four wins has only enhanced his confidence, while he also looked at ease emotionally on his Centre Court debut. Fery used the patriotic crowd to help energise him in the latter stages against Dimitrov and may look to the 15,000 home fans again for inspiration.
“Arthur does not look afraid of any situation,” said former British number one Kyle Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi‑finals in 2018. “You see the way he conducts himself and the way he walks – it is like he belongs there.”
Fery beat Cobolli 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-1 at this year’s Australian Open [Getty Images]
Fery can take further belief from the fact he has already beaten Cobolli at a major this year. At the Australian Open in January, Fery won in straight sets on his overseas Slam debut – helped by Cobolli struggling because of a stomach issue.
“Beating a top player boosts self‑esteem and it is also important in the sense he knows what he can expect from an opponent like Cobolli,” Fery’s coach Jeroen Benard told BBC Sport. “They have played each other in juniors, they have played each other this year, so he knows who he is. But Cobolli knows who we are – and wants to take revenge.”
Stay relaxed off the court
Fery grew up a short walk away from the All England Club and is enjoying the home comforts of staying with his family during the Championships. Benard says everything else has stayed the same in Fery’s camp, with the team enjoying talking about football and music before getting down to business.
Fery comes across as cool, calm and serious on court – and in his post‑match interviews – but fellow British player Felix Gill described how his friend can be “silly” and “hilarious”. “Every morning when he gets treated we’re watching World Cup highlights and we talk about day‑to‑day stuff – it’s nothing different than if we are playing a Challenger in Croatia,” said Benard. “He’s really good fun to be around. We joke a lot. He’s just a normal 23‑year‑old who happens to be very good at sport.”
