England's Arthur Fery waves to spectators as he leaves the court after losing his semi-final match against Germany's Alexander Zverev on Friday.Toby Melville/Reuters
Until this week, Arthur Fery was barely known to anyone outside the inner circle of the tennis world. Now the 23-year-old sensation rivals England soccer captain Harry Kane as one of the most popular sports figures in the country.
Since arriving at Wimbledon two weeks ago as world No. 114, Fery made a stunning run, winning four rounds and then sweeping aside French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals in straight sets. The kid who grew up a few blocks from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club previously had won just two Grand Slam matches and he only got into Wimbledon this year as a wild card.
Now here he stood on Centre Court on a hot, sunny Friday afternoon playing world No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. The Londoner had a staunchly pro-British crowd at his feet and a nation enthralled by his upstart performance – even though he was born in France.
Only one other wild card had ever made the semi-final in men’s singles at Wimbledon: Goran Ivanisevic, and he went on to win it all in 2001.
But alas, the dream ended with a thud and Fery came crashing down to Earth, losing 6-7, 2-6, 4-6 to the German in two hours and 13 minutes.
The difference between the two players was stark.
Fery is among the shortest men in the tournament, standing just 1.75 metres, or 5 feet 9 inches. Zverev is among the tallest at 1.98m, or 6 feet 6 inches.
Zverev was fresh off winning his first Grand Slam title last month in Paris at the French Open and he’d been in four Grand Slam finals. Fery played most of the season on the second-tier Challenger Tour and was ranked world No. 204 last November. He suffered from persistent mid-match nose bleeds and bone bruises but not a lack of confidence. “I have nothing to lose,” he said before the match.
Zverev celebrates after winning his match against Fery. He will play his first final on Sunday.Toby Melville/Reuters
He showed few nerves in the opening set. After Zverev won a break in the fourth game, Fery came right back with a break in the fifth. He even challenged the umpire on the technology used to judge let serves, halting play for a few minutes while he argued a call. They played even until the 6-6 tiebreaker.
It was then that Fery began to fall apart.
Zverev powered through the tiebreak, easily taking it 7-0. The crowd did its best to boost the Brit and cheers of, “Come on, Arthur,” rang out. He’d been down before in three previous matches and won, and some held out hope for another dramatic comeback. But Zverev was a much different prospect.
Zverev won a break point early in the second set, took it 6-2 and was rarely challenged after that.
Zverev, 29, has never gotten this far at Wimbledon and he’ll play in his first final on Sunday. He’ll also have a chance to win his second straight Grand Slam, after going so long without winning one.
“This Grand Slam has always been the one that I have struggled with most and all of a sudden I am in the final, so I am incredibly happy,” Zverev said in an on-court interview post-match.
Even with the loss, Fery will climb to world No. 36 and gain automatic entry into the U.S. Open. He’s also entered in the National Bank Open in Montreal next month but isn’t sure yet if he will play.
After the match he acknowledged that Zverev was a “step up” from his other opponents and that the balls “were coming back a little bit faster than the other days and what I’m used to.”
As for his rapid rise and newfound popularity, he was lost for words. “People love sport because it, I don’t know how to describe it. Yeah, it gives people emotions. It’s great for everyone watching,” he said.
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Zverev will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final. The Italian ended Novak Djokovic’s dream of winning a 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown with an impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win on Friday.
Sinner looked dominant from the start, claiming an early break in the first and staying largely in control for the rest of the match.
Djokovic had few answers. He had only one break point opportunity, which he missed, while Sinner had 13 and converted three. Sinner fired 16 aces, twice as many as Djokovic, and won all but six points when he landed his first serve.
There were flashes of brilliance from the 39-year-old, which had the crowd chanting “Novak, Novak.” But he looked very much his age against Sinner, who is 15 years younger and bidding for his fifth Grand Slam title and second straight at Wimbledon.
The match “was a good old blowout. Nothing much I could do,” Djokovic told reporters afterward. He talked about his desire to keep playing and winning.
“I feel when I’m healthy, I’m still able to play as a top-five player, still able to compete at the highest level,” he said, adding that: “At the same time, you know, of course there’s always a question how far you want to go.”
He’ll be 40 next year but still has thoughts of playing Wimbledon “at least one more time. Let’s see.”