Arthur Fery, the 23-year-old wildcard from Wimbledon, has drawn inspiration from Goran Ivanisevic's legendary 2001 title run as he prepares for a blockbuster semi-final against Alexander Zverev. Fery is only the second wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach the men's semi-finals, following Ivanisevic, who remains the only wildcard to win a men's Grand Slam singles title.
Fery's historic run
Fery secured his place in the semi-finals with a dominant victory over ninth seed Flavio Cobolli on Centre Court, winning in straight sets. The world No. 114 had earlier overcome Grigor Dimitrov and Zizou Bergs in five-set thrillers. His run has captivated the nation, especially after Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
“I've never met him – but I knew beforehand that he was the only wildcard to ever win a Grand Slam,” Fery said of Ivanisevic. “So it's obviously an incredible story. I've watched the highlights of the final before.”
Facing Zverev
Fery will face second seed Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion, in the semi-finals. “Zverev is a step up again – but I'm ready for it. I have nothing to lose,” Fery said. “I'm just going to go out there, put my game on the court, do what I've done and believe in myself.”
Zverev, 29, is aiming for his first Wimbledon final after reaching the semi-finals for the second time. The German has dropped only one set en route to the last four.
Royal encounter
Before his quarter-final win, Fery received a surprise visit from the Queen, who wished him luck. “Whatever was said clearly worked wonders,” Fery joked after his victory.
Fery, a local Wimbledon resident, has sparked talk of renaming Henman Hill to 'Arthur's Seat' or 'Fery's Field'. However, he remains focused. “I'm starting to sense the national significance, but it's good that matches keep coming fast,” he said. “I'm not looking too much at social media. I'm just staying in my bubble.”
Other semi-final: Sinner vs Djokovic
The other semi-final features world No. 1 Jannik Sinner against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, 39, overcame third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in an epic five-setter, while Siner advanced in straight sets for the fourth consecutive match. Djokovic is chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, which would surpass Margaret Court's record.
“It's been another great, historic run for me at the Grand Slams,” Djokovic said. “I still try to prove to myself and others that I'm able to compete with the best players in the world and beat them on the biggest stage.”
Sinner, the defending champion, said: “Every match is different with Novak. Even when I had a small winning streak with him, I felt like every match really had its own story. Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or are not feeling the ball very well, it's going to be very, very tough.”
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