Arthur Fery received royal encouragement from Queen Camilla following his unexpected victory over Fabio Cobolli, which secured his place in the Wimbledon semi-final. The 23-year-old British player achieved a career-best performance at the All England Club, defeating the ninth seed and French Open finalist Cobolli in straight sets.
Fery's 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 triumph makes him only the second wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach the semi-finals, a feat previously accomplished by Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Fery played his quarter-final match in front of Roger Federer and later met Queen Camilla in the Royal Box.
Queen Camilla reportedly approached Fery before his match to wish him luck and also spoke with him after his win. "She had some really kind words to me at the end, as well," Fery stated. "She was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her. She just said: 'Congratulations, keep going'."
Fery is now set to face French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the semi-final. Should he advance, Fery could potentially play in the Wimbledon final on his 24th birthday, which falls on the Sunday of the tournament's conclusion. He humorously mentioned to the Queen his birthday wish: "I told her it was my birthday on Sunday, so it would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday."