Arthur Fery has disclosed that a secret procedure on his nose and watching the Godfather trilogy have contributed to his remarkable Wimbledon run, as he prepares to face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday.
Nosebleeds halted by cauterisation
The 23-year-old British wildcard, who has reached the last four after consecutive five-set comebacks against Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov, suffered from nosebleeds that paused his earlier matches. After his win over Bergs, he underwent a nasal cauterisation procedure to seal blood vessels in his nose. Since then, no nosebleeds have occurred in his subsequent victories over Dimitrov and Flavio Cobolli.
“I had a little procedure four days ago here on [my nose],” Fery said. “That seemed to help. I’ve also tried to avoid wiping with a towel straight on the nose. I think that was also kind of not helping, so just a combination of things, just a bit of luck as well.” He added that the procedure was “a small thing. Nothing major. Didn’t hurt.”
According to the NHS, patients who undergo such a procedure should “rest and avoid any strenuous activities and sports for at least two weeks.” Fery, however, will be playing his sixth day post-procedure against the French Open champion Zverev for a place in the Wimbledon final.
Godfather trilogy as relaxation
Off the court, Fery has been watching the Godfather films to unwind. “I’ve been watching the Godfather,” he said. “Bit of a throwback. Never watched it before. Just started it. I’m going to probably be going on to the Godfather 2 tonight.” He plans to watch Godfather 3 if he advances to the final, which would also fall on his 24th birthday, as he told Queen Camilla after his match on Wednesday.
Home comforts and motivation
Fery, a Wimbledon resident since childhood, benefits from a short commute to the All England Club from his mother’s home. He has become only the second man in history to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard. “I’ve been staying at home, I finished late a few times so I just went home and slept,” he said. “I’ve had a day off every time between my matches. That’s been nice just practising. Had some normal dinners at home with my family and just relaxing there in my own bed. It’s nice to just chuck a movie on and not think about tennis a little bit.”
His bedroom, filled with junior trophies and childhood mementoes, provides additional motivation. “I have not got pictures of [Andre] Agassi on the wall,” he said. “There’s stuff on the wall that’s been there for a while. My mum moved house in 2018 so this wasn’t my childhood home. The classic, got all my trophies from junior events, the tournament badges, the passes, all that, so some memories in there.”
Fery also noted he helps with household chores, though less this week. “I don’t cook but I help with the dishes and everything else obviously. Bit less of that this week. Mum’s cooking. I eat here. No real routine or superstitions. Just doing what feels best at the moment.”
