Arthur Fery has been one of the biggest stories of the Wimbledon Championships this year.
Fery had only ever won one main draw match at Wimbledon before this year, and required a wildcard to get into this year’s tournament as the world number 114.
The Briton has since taken the tournament by storm, with Fery beating Flavio Cobolli and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Fery has now helped make tennis history and 12-time Grand Slam singles champion Billie Jean King has given her verdict on the British wildcard.
Billie Jean King says she has ‘loved’ watching Arthur Fery
King knows exactly what it takes to win a Wimbledon title, having done so six times during her career.
Now 82 years old, King spoke about Fery live on the BBC and was full of praise for the 23-year-old, who played college tennis at Stanford University for three years.
“What a story for Great Britain,” said King. “His centre of gravity is lowish so it makes him unbelievable on the grass. I have loved watching him.
“This is great! He went to Stanford and went to school, so he also has a brain! It’s great for British tennis. These stories just make it. He has guts, he has courage. I love that. He is very decisive when he does something and it really is great to watch.”
Fery’s story has come at the right time for British tennis after a horror start to Wimbledon this year, with 14 of the 18 players losing in the first round, and he was the only one to make it past the second.
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Arthur Fery is on an exclusive list of British players to reach the Wimbledon semi-final
After beating Roland Garros finalist Cobolli, Fery has joined an exclusive list of British players to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open Era.
This began with Ann Jones, who became a Wimbledon champion in 1969 after beating the aforementioned King in the final.
Jones is one of three British players to win the Wimbledon singles title in the Open Era, alongside Virginia Wade and Andy Murray, who won his home major twice.
| British player who has reached Wimbledon semi-final in the Open Era (1968-) | Best Result at Wimbledon |
| Ann Jones | Won the title (1969) |
| Roger Taylor | Semi-final (1970 & 1973, also reached the semi-finals in 1967) |
| Virginia Wade | Won the title (1977) |
| Tim Henman | Semi-final (1998, 1999, 2001 & 2002) |
| Andy Murray | Won the title (2013 & 2016) |
| Johanna Konta | Semi-final (2017) |
| Cameron Norrie | Semi-final (2022) |
| Arthur Fery | Semi-final (2026) |
Since Murray won his second title at SW19, both Johanna Konta and Cameron Norrie have reached the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Neither were able to go any further, and Fery will be hoping to continue his breakout run by reaching the Wimbledon final.
Fery will play Alexander Zverev for a place in the Wimbledon final, knowing that whatever happens he will be the new British number one after the tournament finishes.
