The Princess of Wales has offered her congratulations to British tennis player Arthur Fery following his significant advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals. Fery's journey marks him as the first wildcard to reach this stage of the Gentlemen's Singles in 25 years.
Fery, 23, secured his spot in the semi-finals by defeating the No. 9 seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. He is scheduled to face the No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev in the upcoming round. Princess Catherine, writing on X, formerly Twitter, described the day as 'wonderful' and lauded Fery's accomplishment.
"Congratulations to Arthur Fery on becoming the first British wildcard to reach the Gentlemen’s Singles semi-finals in the Open Era, a fantastic achievement that has inspired so many," she posted, adding a tennis ball emoji and the initial 'C'.
Earlier in the day, Fery received a surprise encounter with Queen Camilla as he prepared to enter Centre Court. The Queen approached him in the players' entrance and shook his hand, to which Fery responded, "Nice to meet you."
The Wimbledon championships also saw Queen Camilla in attendance, accompanied by her sister Annabel Elliot and Peter and Harriet Phillips. Camilla, 78, was seen wearing a cerulean dress by Anna Valentine.
The Princess of Wales has also been a notable spectator, opting to watch from different areas rather than exclusively the Royal Box. A keen player herself, she has previously been seated alongside figures such as Sir Andy Murray and Tim Henman.
Fery's path to the semi-finals included a victory over Grigor Dimitrov on his Centre Court debut on Monday, making him the first wildcard in over a decade to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Prior to this grass season, Fery had only two Tour-level wins to his name. His performance in the current tournament has been characterized by effective use of slices and drop shots.
