Arthur Ferry’s stellar run at Wimbledon continued on Tuesday as the British wildcard scored the biggest win of his career, defeating ninth seed Flavio Coboli to reach the semi-finals.

Ranked world No. 114 when the Grand Slam began, the 23-year-old has become the story of the championship. By defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the very first tournament, Ferry backed it up with another fearless performance against the ItaliansReached the semi-finals of the tournament by defeating him 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-0.

On Wednesday, 8 July, Arthur became only the second wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach the semi-finals. The only player before him to achieve this feat was Goran Ivanisevic, who won the championship in 2001 by defeating Australia’s Patrick Rafter.

Who is Arthur Ferry?

For many tennis fans, Ferry’s success has come as a surprise. But his journey to Center Court took years.

Born in Sevres, France, on July 12, 2002, Ferry moved to London when he was just one month old and grew up in Wimbledon, just a few miles from the All England Club. She attended King’s College School before choosing a different path to professional tennis by attending Stanford University in the United States.

Rather than turn professional as a teenager, Ferry spent three years developing his game in college tennis. He became a two-time ITA All-American, was named the 2023 Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, and reached No. 1 in the national collegiate singles rankings in 2022, becoming Stanford’s first top-ranked singles player since Bob Bryan in 1998. In three seasons, he compiled an impressive 58–16 singles record while excelling in doubles.

Tennis runs in the family. His mother, Olivia Ferry, played professionally and competed in the women’s doubles draw at the 1991 French Open before representing Hong Kong in the Fed Cup after moving there. His father, Loïc Ferry, is a French businessman and president of French football club FC Lorient.

Arthur Fairey’s junior career

Ferry was also a very accomplished junior. He reached the third round of the Wimbledon boys’ singles in 2019, reached the boys’ doubles semi-finals at Wimbledon the same year, and repeated that feat at the 2020 Australian Open. He also represented Great Britain at the European Championships in 2019.

Despite those credentials, few expected him to make such a long run this fortnight. Entering Wimbledon as a wildcard, Ferry started the season outside the world top 180 before steadily climbing the rankings. His performance in London will now take him closer to the world top 60, making him Britain’s new No. 2 behind Cameron Norrie.

Speaking after one of her previous wins, Ferry admitted that playing at Wimbledon felt like a “full-circle moment” after spending much of her childhood watching the tournament from the stands.

That dream has now become even bigger. After eliminating Koboli, the British wildcard is just one win away from making the Wimbledon final, completing one of the most remarkable success stories of the season.

Many more to follow…

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