Arthur Fery Reaches Wimbledon Semi-Finals in Shock Upset

Days like these for British players at Wimbledon need to be cherished.

Andy Murray ending the nation's 77-year wait for a men's singles champion in 2013 was the height of euphoria, and his commanding win three years later was not far behind.

Home hopes Johanna Konta and Cameron Norrie also sparked fervent support by unexpectedly reaching the semi-finals in the past nine years.

There was some logic to the memorable British runs that have illuminated the All England Club in recent years.

But wildcard Arthur Fery storming into the semi-finals?

Nobody saw that coming - and those who were there celebrated accordingly.

Champagne corks popping throughout 23-year-old Fery's remarkable three-set win over ninth seed Flavio Cobolli - including one which the Italian complained put him off his service motion - proved fitting.

And a few fans likely left Centre Court in pursuit of a tipple to mark arguably British tennis' finest day in its grand old home since Murray's second title a decade ago.

Fery is not celebrating yet. He's got a Wimbledon semi-final against German second seed Alexander Zverev coming up on Friday.

"I felt emotions that I've never experienced before in my life in that last game," said Fery, who had won just two Grand Slam main-draw matches before this fortnight.

"I have the crowd behind me here, which is a huge help."

It was a day the 15,000 home fans on Centre Court, thousands more on Henman Hill - sorry, Arthur's Seat - and those engrossed across the country will never forget.

For Fery, it is a life-affirming moment.

Fery is just the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since the Open era began in 1968.

Only four men have reached a Grand Slam men's semi-final as a wildcard, with Fery joining Jimmy Connors (1991 US Open), Henri Leconte (1992 French Open) and Goran Ivanisevic (2001 Wimbledon).

Of those three, only Ivanisevic went on to win the title.

Fery will now rise to 36th in the world, having never cracked the top 100 before this tournament. It assures him of direct entry into the sport's biggest tournaments for the foreseeable future.

A cheque of £900,000 - which will increase further if he beats French Open champion Zverev - will be another financial injection to further develop his career.

"I don't really see results as a monetary value, I see it more as a result of a lot of work put in throughout the years," Fery told BBC Sport after reaching the Australian Open main draw in January.

In Melbourne, he talked about being able to "reinvest" in his tennis, but, in truth, money has never been an object.

Father Loic is an asset manager who was the owner of Ligue 1 football club Lorient, while his mother, Olivia, is a French former Fed Cup player who worked for the LTA as a business development manager.

The family are reported to be worth, external more than £275m.

But those close to Fery speak of a man who remains humble in his pursuit of carving his own path in life.

Fery's coach Jeroen Benard describes him as a "normal 23-year-old who happens to be very good at sport", while British player Felix Gill - a long-time pal - says Fery is the "silly one" in their circle of friends.

"Every morning when he gets treatment we're watching World Cup highlights and we talk about day-to-day stuff," said Benard.

"It's nothing different to if we were playing a Challenger in Croatia."

Fery grew up a short walk away from Centre Court, coming to the Championships most summers and trying to mimic the stars he watched.

Now the new British number one is the star attraction at the All England Club and potentially inspiring the next generation.

Fery's journey began near Paris, where he was born to French parents, before the family relocated to Wimbledon when he was still young.

After coming through the LTA system as one of the nation's most promising youngsters, Fery decided to move to Stanford University in California - a prestigious institution that specialises in research.

The academic Fery studied for a degree in science, technology and society, giving him a back-up in case tennis did not work out but also allowing him to sharpen his game on a tennis scholarship.

Fery delayed his full-time transition to the ATP Tour in order to follow the routes of fellow alumni John McEnroe and the Bryan brothers to the top.

Fery's progress has also been limited by injuries, notably bone bruising in his arm that led to "doubts and dark moments".

He needed to be patient to overcome an issue which lingers if not properly rested and, having played consistently over the past two seasons, is now reaping the rewards.

Keeping cool, calm and serious on court - and in post-match interviews - has been key to reaching the semi-finals.

He was unfazed by playing in front of Roger Federer in his fourth-round win over Grigor Dimitrov.

Being watched by Queen Camilla against Cobolli - and meeting her before and after the match - barely brought a butterfly.

"She congratulated me and said 'keep going'," Fery said.

"I told her it was my birthday on Sunday. It would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday."

A British wildcard playing in the Wimbledon men's final on his 24th birthday? Now that truly is make-believe.

Or is it?