Wimbledon: Can Arthur Fery follow in Emma Raducanu’s footsteps and become the latest Brit to win a Grand Slam title as a foreigner? | Tennis News

Considering Britain’s Arthur Fery is now just two wins away from achieving what seemed impossible before Wimbledon started, it’s fair to compare.

What started as a whisper after the No. 114’s fourth-round victory over Grigor Dimitrov has become the talk of the town among experts and fans alike.

Can Fery emulate Emma Raducanu and go on to win her first Grand Slam title since seemingly coming out on top?

Little was known about Raducanu when he became the first qualifier to win the US Open in 2021.

The same can be said for Fery after he booked his first Grand Slam semi-final spot behind French Open champion Flavio Cobolli.

Prior to this tournament, Fery was just one of a long list of British names competing in the grass court competition. There was no expectation and no suggestion that the 23-year-old could win a few matches at Wimbledon, let alone reach the last four.

Back at the start of the Championship, the focus was on the doom and gloom of British tennis. After Raducanu withdrew the night before with an injury, 10 British players lost on the first day, with Jack Draper pulling out of his mouth-watering opening tie against Taylor Fritz with a recurring arm injury.

British tennis was close and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

That was before Fery and his high-risk, high-reward style of play hit the courts.

Controversy and nosebleeds: Fery’s road to the semi-finals

Fery has attracted controversy since reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon. In the opening round of his four-set win over Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur, he was accused of dishonesty by his opponent for making a phone call.

Dzumhur learned that the Fery service had caught the tape which led him to complain to the officer asking that Fery be “honest”.

He said: “I felt like he was giving up, no one called. I didn’t ask him to play again but I told the truth, because I will do that. It’s obvious that we are not the same.”

In his third round victory over Eastbourne champion Zizou Bergs, Fery required three sessions of treatment to treat bleeding, something that has affected him throughout his career.

The final bleed came when he worked to stay in the match at 5-4 down the ladder.

Fery said after his win: “It’s a problem I’m going to fix. It’s happened before but it’s not that common.”

“There were times today when I didn’t want to stop, when I had the pressure.

“I know it annoys the enemy. It gives me more time to rest sometimes.”

According to tournament rules, a bleeding player must receive medical treatment before continuing, but must not leave the field.

Fery was unbeaten in his Center Court win against Dimitrov on Monday night, and he didn’t win a straight sets win over Cobelli in just over two hours to book a place in the semi-finals and face French Open winner Alexander Zverev.

This player, who started the tournament at number 114, has moved up to the Top 40 after reaching the last four.

If he gets past Zverev, he could climb into the Top 30 and climb even further if he goes on to beat Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s match.

Absolutely unbelievable. But that’s how Raducanu produced his own incredible success at Flushing Meadows just five years ago, and why hasn’t Fery produced the same magic for British tennis?

By reaching the semis, he becomes only the fifth British man to reach the last four at Wimbledon, joining esteemed company alongside Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Roger Taylor and Cameron Norrie.

‘Raducanu didn’t let the event get to him’

Fery’s strength is that he doesn’t know when he’s being hit. Against Bergs in the third round and Dimitrov in the fourth, he fought back from losing positions to win in five sets.

He showed that he can raise his level even in the quarter-final by defeating his first seed in this tournament so far in ninth ranked Cobolli.

Raducanu, who was world No 150 when he won in New York five years ago, was unseeded during his incredible run. But the Brit didn’t drop the whole set as, aged just 18, she became the youngest major champion since Maria Sharapova at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.

His run to the US Open came after he showed flashes of his skills when he ran into the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier that summer.

“What I remember was that it was impressive that he didn’t let the event get to him,” Fery said of Raducanu’s 2021 Wimbledon campaign.

“He was just going on with the game, playing well, beating top players. It’s very difficult to do when you’re not used to being on stage, on such a big stage.

“He did really well when he won the US Open. I’ve been trying to do that. Just take it game by game, play my game.”

Fery: I watched highlights of Ivanisevic’s 2001 success

While it’s natural to draw comparisons to Raducanu’s breakout success five years ago, much has also been said about the last wild card to win at Wimbledon, Goran Ivanisevic back in 2001.

Ivanisevic defeated fellow Brit Tim Henman in the semi-finals in a five-set thriller that lasted three days due to rain delays, days before Center Court was roofed.

Fery was asked about Ivanisevic’s success and whether he is aware of his incredible game 25 years ago.

“I knew before that he was the only wildcard to ever win a Grand Slam. So it’s obviously an amazing story,” Fery said after his victory over Cobolli.

“I’ve watched the highlights of the final before. I’m not going to predict too much or think ahead of time what that will be like. I’ll keep thinking about my game on Friday, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Fery has already given British tennis fans the boost they needed as a time when all hopes were looking up. Now can he bring his own Raducanu moment by delivering one of the biggest sports stories of the year?