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Arthur Fery’s tennis career has come full circle in a remarkable fashion. The young British player first picked up a racquet at the age of four at the Westside Tennis Club, located just over a mile from Wimbledon’s iconic All England Club. Nearly two decades later, the 23-year-old wildcard entrant has risen to prominence by achieving breakthrough success on the very courts he once dreamed of playing on as a child. Now ranked world number 114, Fery is preparing to face the second seed, Alexander Zverev, in the Wimbledon semi-finals — a stage he had never before reached.
Though Fery represents Britain, his origins trace back to France. He was born in Sèvres, a stylish suburb of Paris, but his family relocated to London before his first birthday. Sporting talent runs in the family, as his mother Olivia was a professional tennis player who competed in the 1991 French Open doubles and the Fed Cup. His father Loic, though primarily a financier, understands the pressures elite athletes endure, having once owned Ligue 1’s FC Lorient. “They’re both extremely supportive with my career, not only now but over the past 10 to 11 years I’ve been playing sport,” Fery reflected in an earlier interview, emphasizing how vital their support has been during both his highs and lows.
Growing up near Wimbledon, Fery trained at the local Westside Tennis Club, where family friend Alison Taylor gave him his first lessons. Taylor, married to three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Roger Taylor, recalls Fery’s natural abilities from an early age: “Arthur was incredibly athletic and gifted. His footwork was exceptional. He could retrieve any ball and was very balanced. He had amazing touch, he always liked to do drop shots and rush the net. You could see there was something special there.” These qualities have become central to Fery’s playing style, with his speed and agility allowing him to defend skillfully before moving aggressively to attack, despite his relatively modest height of 5ft 9in.
Fery’s junior career took a unique path. By age ten, his technical skills attracted coach Craig Veal of the Sutton Tennis Academy, who partnered with former ATP player Benoit Foucher to guide him. Rather than pushing him into early international competition, they preferred focusing on development through matches against adults domestically, allowing him to grow his passion without excessive pressure. Veal stated, “[We decided to] let him develop his game and his passion for it, rather than putting a load of pressure on him to get an international ranking.” Once he was ready, Fery rapidly climbed the junior rankings, winning several World Tennis Junior titles and reaching as high as 12th globally in junior rankings. While in junior Grand Slams he reached no further than the third round in singles, he did make the semi-finals in doubles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
At 18, Fery enrolled at Stanford University in California, combining high-level tennis with academics via a scholarship. There, he pursued a degree in science, technology, and society while refining his game and mental toughness under coach Brandon Coupe. “I wasn’t necessarily ready to go and play professional tournaments straight away,” Fery explained. His time at Stanford allowed him to mature both on and off the court. Coupe praised Fery’s composure under pressure, noting, “The kid has got ice in his veins. He is so calm under pressure.”
Despite his steady progress, Fery has struggled with bone bruising in his arm, a challenge similar to the injury that sidelined fellow Briton Jack Draper. This physical setback caused “dark moments” but recent changes in his technique, particularly adjustments to his serve guided by his coach Jeroen Benard and a biomechanics specialist, have alleviated pain and improved his performance. “The serve is helping cause less force through the bones and it’s clearly working because he is not in pain anymore,” Benard remarked. Having been together for just a year, Benard highlighted the hard work that has culminated in Fery’s success: “I know how hard he works and everything coming together now, in his backyard at Wimbledon, is a dream.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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