Arthur Fery Expresses Wish to Emulate Compatriot Emma Raducanu’s Grand Slam Success After Reaching Wimbledon Semifinals

Arthur Fery is into the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. In the ongoing Wimbledon, the home favorite, also a wild card entrant, knocked out this year’s French Open runner-up, Flavio Cobolli, to reach the last four.

Before this event, Fery had never made it past the second round of a Major. Also before his match against Cobolli, the 23-year-old overcame former World No.3 Grigor Dimitrov in a thrilling five-set battle in the fourth round.

At the press conference after his win over the Italian, Fery was told of compatriot Emma Raducanu‘s fairytale run at the 2021 US Open.

Yeah, my memory of it was that it was impressive how she didn’t let the occasion get to her. She would just keep going match after match, playing well, beating top players. That was until the title [US Open]. It’s very tough to do when you’re not used to being on this stage, such a big stage. And she did it great when she won the US Open. I’ve been trying to do that as well. Just take it match by match, play my game, put what I do best on court, and yeah, keep doing that.

Raducanu won 10 matches as a qualifier without dropping a set. Also the same year before the US Open, Raducanu received a wild card at Wimbledon and made her Grand Slam debut. She was forced to retire from the fourth round.

But since that US Open triumph, Raducanu has not yet won a title. She, in fact, played her second tour-level final in this year’s Transylvania Open, losing the match to Sorana Cirstea.

Raducnau took her revenge on the Romanian ace in the round of 16 of the Queen’s Club Championships and later reached the final, only to lose to Donna Vekic. She later withdrew from the Nottingham Open and was forced to skip Wimbledon due to a niggle in her right leg.

Arthur Fery will face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals

Arthur Fery now has a tough challenge in front of him. In the semifinals, he will be facing reigning French Open champion Alexander Zverev, who, in his quarterfinal match, ended his seven-match losing streak against Taylor Fritz.

Here, I also have the support of the audience on my side, which helps a lot on the Centre Court. I try to use that support in crucial moments to add a bit more pressure to the opponent, and I will try again on Friday. Zverev represents another step, but I am prepared for it. I have nothing to lose; I will step onto the court, play my game, believe in myself, and see how far it takes me.

The match against Fritz was the first time Zverev played in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Sascha, who holds a 6-10 head-to-head record over Fritz, will become World No.2 if he reaches the final, removing Carlos Alcaraz from the spot.

If he reaches the final, he will be expecting nothing short of a battle because up against him will be either Novak Djokovic or defending champion Jannik Sinner. The Italian ace, who beat Alcaraz in last year’s final at SW19, holds a 6-5 head-to-head edge over the 24-time Grand Slam champion, with their last meeting ending in the Serb’s favor.

They met in the semifinals of the Australian Open this year, which Djokovic won in five sets before losing the final in four sets to Alcaraz. While Djokovic is chasing his first title of the season, the four-time Grand Slam champion has already won five titles (all Masters 1000s).

Also read: Karolina Muchova Makes Unexpected Confession After Reaching Wimbledon Semifinals