Wimbledon 2026: Arthur Fery plans to use crowd ‘to my advantage’ against Alexander Zverev in men’s singles semi final | Tennis News
Britain’s Arthur Fery says he will use the crowd to “my advantage” when he faces Alexander Zverev of Germany in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday.
Wild card Fery is on an impressive run after winning back-to-back five sets to reach the quarter-finals and defeating French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in the last eight in straight sets on Wednesday.
But French Open champion Zverev will rise again as Fery looks set to become only the second Briton after Andy Murray to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final in tennis’ Open era, which began in 1968.
“I have the crowd behind me here, which is a big help, especially on Center Court, where you have a lot of people pushing me,” said Fery.
“I’ve been trying to use the crowd to my advantage in key moments, just to add a little bit of pressure maybe to their opponents. I’ll try to do that again in the moments that feel right on Friday.”
Zverev says there will be a “good atmosphere” that he will enjoy even though most of the spectators are on Fery’s side.
“I’m almost 30 years old. I’ve been on the road long enough. I feel like I’ve seen very hostile crowds, I’ve seen tough crowds, I’ve seen the wrong crowds,” he said.
“I feel like I have to know how to handle it, I’ve learned how to handle it. I’m fine with it. I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they’re always fine. Yes, they can shout, they’re happy, but that’s fine.
“I have no problem at all. I am looking for a tough challenge in the semi finals of the slam.”
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Alison Taylor, former coach of Arthur Fery, reveals what it was like to coach the 23-year-old in his younger days and what first stood out to her.
Fery: I have nothing to lose
Fery seemed to feed off the fans’ enthusiasm throughout the tournament and showed no signs of feeling the pressure at home.
The 23-year-old’s best Grand Slam run was the second round at the Australian Open earlier this year and at Wimbledon 12 months ago.
After only four of the 19 British players in the men’s and women’s draw won their first-round matches, it looked set to disappoint the home team.
Fery, who was ranked 114th coming into Wimbledon, says he has been trying to distance himself from the news and will try to see the semi-final against Zverev as “just another match”.
Alexander Zverev’s big serve and predictability will be factors that Fery will need to overcome
“I’m ready. Nothing will defeat me. I’ll just go out there and put my game on the field, do what I’ve done, believe in myself. We’ll see where that takes me,” he added.
Zverev also said that he will not “overthink” the match and will watch Fery’s matches with his team to get a game plan.
“The first time I actually saw him play was in Australia. He beat Cobolli in the first round. I was very impressed at the time,” he said.
“He has very clean technique and very clean groundstrokes. I thought he was a top tennis player already at that time.
“Yeah, maybe it’s a little surprising that he’s in the semifinals. But I think he deserves it. The wins he had, the way he fought in a couple of those matches, it’s fun to see. It’s a great story.”
