Arthur Fery’s Wimbledon legend continues as British wildcard roars into quarter-finals

Even in the Central Court and the hallowed grass where silence is usually maintained, Arthur Fery refused to go down quietly. Britain’s last hope left standing in singles, and local Wimbledon, was not made of his legend. Kicking and screaming defiantly, he won a five-set thriller against fellow wild card Grigor Dimitrov to reach the quarter-finals. Roger Federer looked down from the front of the Royal Box and laughed in acknowledgment of Fery’s fight and the arrival of a new home hope. The days of five epic sets featuring a roaring, curmudgeonly Brit following Andy Murray’s retirement are not over, after all.

Instead, Fery, 23, fought back from the brink, fought back from a break in the fourth set and won the match to end Dimitrov’s comeback, winning 7-5 3-6 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7) in three hours and 55 minutes. It has already changed the life of Fery, who was born to French parents but grew up five minutes down the road from the gates of the All England Club; a late farmer who stayed at school and studied at Stanford in California, patiently waiting for his turn. As the light faded in Center Court, at 8:21pm on Monday evening, the Fery broke through and took over.

Ranked 114th in the world ahead of the fortnight, Fery will play ninth seed Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. He is the first British player to reach the quarter-finals of a grand slam, and the youngest player to reach the men’s quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 14 years. “What I experienced today, I will look at it for the rest of my life,” he said. “Who knows, maybe I’ll never hear that again. It’s my first time playing on this stage. It might be the first and last time. I hope not.”

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For Fery, the biggest game of his life brought a big change to the scene. He couldn’t stay on the tightrope of Court 18 after back-to-back wins. As Fery stood next to Dimitrov, the No. 3 seed, under the steps of Center Court and waiting to enter the world’s most famous tennis arena, he could look to his left and see the names of Federer and Murray on the winner’s board. He wanted to emulate Murray by becoming the sixth British man in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in the open era. He ended up playing in front of Federer, as the eight-time champion held court from the front in the Royal Box.

Fery drew applause and jeers from Federer in the opening stages as he swung his forehand and steered a backhand winner down the line. There’s a lot to like about Fery’s game, and the way he, at 5ft 9in, overcomes a lack of height by punching from the baseline and racing to the net, where his bold approach was often followed by smart touches and soft volleys. The first two sets went down to a few games. Fery won the first and although Dimitrov won his first 16 points after a ball, Dimitrov used one break in the second following a loose game from Fery. There wasn’t much to split a fourth-round match between two wildcards, a first in Wimbledon history.

Dimitrov was back on Center Court and playing in front of Federer just 12 months after injury forced him out at the same stage of last year’s tournament, when he led world No. 1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner in straight sets. The injury robbed Dimitrov of confidence in his body and he dropped down the rankings, returning to Wimbledon at number 146 in the world. After defeating Jakub Mensik and 15th-seeded Matteo Berrettini on Center Court on Saturday, Dimitrov advanced to the third set and began to pick holes in Fery’s game after some good shots. He removed one.

The Fery didn’t blink. He was two sets to one down in his epic third-round match against world No. 37 Zizou Bergs two days ago, fighting back from a break in the fourth and a break in the fifth. Once again, Fery wiped his face and began to work. “It’s always something you try to be proud of, to be strong-minded. It’s happened so many times now,” Fery said. “I’m proud of the way I’m fighting to stay in the league.”

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He got a break twice, defying Dimitrov as he closed in on the ropes. Suddenly, Dimitrov looked shocked. He double-faulted to help Fery into the break, only to be closed out by the Brit after a defensive volley and a number of swinging errors from Dimitrov. “Too many mistakes, honestly,” Dimitrov said. “It’s going to sting for a long time.”

Suddenly, Fery had won 11 points in a row and Dimitrov was still in the lead. When Fery was given the opening chance at set point, he roared a backhand winner to force a fifth.

The momentum was with Fery. “He caught the game,” Dimitrov admitted. Fery survived back-to-back service games from 15-30, roaming the court as if playing on new legs, sowing the seeds of doubt in Dimitrov’s mind. At 4-3, 30-15, Fery cried after chasing Dimitrov’s ball and stopped to stretch his leg. However, he won the next point, clapping his hands and asking for more from Middle Court. “I was losing my legs a little bit,” he said. “I knew that when Grigor was preparing to stay in the game, it was going to pressure him. But I was doing it more for myself and raising my strength and getting the crowd involved.”

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Dimitrov denied him. But during the tiebreak, Fery’s serve came alive. He screamed as he stuck Dimitrov in his one-handed grip, drawing another foul. Dimitrov took a 5-4 lead but with Center Court looking shaky, the 35-year-old double-faulted. Fery never looked back. He fired another ace. Dimitrov, trying to preserve his incredible run, ended up being tied. Fery bounced back after defeating Bergs to reach his first grand slam round, a result that saw him break into the world’s top 100 for the first time. This time, after Dimitrov hit the second game into the net, Fery just looked at his box in disbelief.

“I have no words right now. It’s very difficult to put into words what I just heard on the tennis court,” he said. “For the first time in this stadium, five sets against the legend of the game… I grew up five minutes from here, I grew up coming to watch games in this stadium. We probably have the biggest game we’ve ever seen. Now to play in front of all of you, and win, it’s unbelievable.” And yet, this Wimbledon home legend isn’t over yet.