British Wildcard Arthur Fery Reaches Wimbledon Semi-Finals

Arthur Fery will play second seed Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday at 13:30 BST after the British wildcard defeated his quarter-final opponent. The 23-year-old, ranked 114th in the world, grew up less than two miles from the All England Club and first played tennis at the Westside Tennis Club.

Fery was born in Sevres near Paris and moved to London before his first birthday. His mother Olivia competed in doubles at the 1991 French Open and represented France in the Fed Cup. His father Loic owned French Ligue 1 club Lorient. Fery credited both parents for supporting his career through successes and setbacks.

Coach Alison Taylor, a family friend, gave Fery his first lesson and described his footwork and touch as exceptional.

Fery trained at the Sutton Tennis Academy with coach Craig Veal and former player Benoit Foucher. The coaches chose to keep him competing against adults in Britain rather than chasing early international junior rankings. At age 18 he enrolled at Stanford University on a tennis scholarship while studying science, technology and society.

Fery became the first Stanford player ranked number one in singles since Bob Bryan.

Fery has dealt with recurring bone bruising in his arm. After reaching the second round of this year's Australian Open he used his £115,000 prize money to hire a full-time physio and biomechanics expert. Coach Jeroen Benard said the adjusted serve has reduced stress on the bones and eliminated pain.

Fery returns to Centre Court, where he first watched matches as a child, for the biggest match of his career.