Arthur Fery says he feels ‘ready’ for Centre Court as Britain’s last Wimbledon hope
Arthur Fery says he feels ‘ready’ for his fourth-round match at Wimbledon and has played down the added ‘pressure’ of being Britain’s last remaining home hope in the singles draw.
The Brit produced a remarkable comeback from 4-1 down in the fourth set to defeat Zizou Bergs 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(5) and book the biggest win of his career.
As a result, Fery will make his maiden Grand Slam last-16 appearance against Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini in four sets on Saturday night.
Fery is the first British wildcard to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since 1993 and is also guaranteed to break into the world’s top 100 for the first time, surpassing his previous career-high ranking of world No 114.
The 23-year-old has played all of his matches on the outside courts, including two on Court 18, but will now step onto Centre Court for the first time when he takes on the Bulgarian on Monday.
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“Obviously, it’s unbelievable to have support,” Fery said during his post-match press conference.
“It definitely helps me. Clearly at the end of the fifth, the crowd played a huge part in that. I was really, really grateful to have them behind me.
“I’m not the kind of player to really, yeah, interact with the crowd too much during the match. I try to stay collected inside, which sometimes is tricky enough as it is.
“If I start giving too much energy out, then it’s going to affect my tennis. Yeah, I just try to stay calm.
“Playing on a bigger court, obviously it’s going to be, not a new experience, but a great experience that I’m looking forward to. There’s obviously pressure associated to it.
“But I’ve now already played a few matches in front of big crowds. I feel, yeah, I feel ready for it.”
Fery claimed his maiden Grand Slam main-draw victory at last year’s Wimbledon before following it up with another first-round win at this season’s Australian Open, underlining his steady progress on the biggest stages.
The Brit has continued that upward trajectory at the All England Club this fortnight. He opened his campaign with a four-set victory over Damir Dzhumhur before coming from a set down to defeat Otto Virtanen, showing impressive resilience in both encounters.
Earlier in the grass-court season, Fery also enjoyed a breakthrough run to the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club, where he eventually lost to eventual champion Francisco Cerundolo.
“Well, I think the obvious one is that I’ve played a lot of grass court matches leading up to Wimbledon this year.
“That definitely helps with confidence, with match fitness, with everything. I’ve also been playing a lot this year, got a lot of wins under the belt. That really helps.
“I feel, yeah, confident here even before my first round. My ranking was higher, so that helped with me feeling in my place.”
