The Princess of Wales has congratulated British wildcard Arthur Fery after he made history by reaching the Wimbledon men’s singles semi-finals.
Catherine, who is Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, described the 23-year-old’s achievement as “fantastic” after he became the first British wildcard in the Open Era to reach the last four at SW19.
Writing on social media following his straight-sets victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, the Princess said: “A memorable day at Wimbledon. Congratulations to Arthur Fery on becoming the first British wildcard to reach the Gentlemen’s Singles semi-finals in the Open Era, a fantastic achievement that has inspired so many. Wishing you the very best for the next round.”
Fery, who grew up just 10 minutes from the All England Club, produced an outstanding display on Centre Court to defeat the ninth seed 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 and book a semi-final clash with second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday.
The Queen was among those watching the remarkable victory from the Royal Box after making a surprise appearance at the Championships. Dressed in a turquoise chiffon dress by Anna Valentine, Camilla joined the Centre Court crowd in giving the British player a standing ovation after he sealed victory with an ace.
An emotional Fery admitted afterwards that he was still coming to terms with his achievement.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s incredible playing on Centre Court for the second time, the second win.”
Asked how he would prepare for the biggest match of his career, the world No. 114 replied: “I don’t know as I’ve never been in this position before. I’m just going to keep going. I’ve been doing great for the last 10 days, so I’m just going to keep going and see where that takes me.”
After clinching match point, Fery collapsed onto the Centre Court grass before embracing his opponent at the net, as spectators rose to applaud his historic triumph. His parents watched the victory alongside actress Elle Fanning and adventurer Bear Grylls.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also congratulated the British star, calling his run from wildcard entrant to Wimbledon semi-finalist “a brilliant performance on the biggest stage.”
Fery is only the second wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach the men’s singles semi-finals and now stands just two victories away from matching Goran Ivanisevic’s famous 2001 triumph as the only wildcard to win the Gentlemen’s Singles title.
