​Alexander Zverev expects to be facing what he called “99 per cent” of the Wimbledon crowd when he meets Arthur Fery in Friday’s semi-final. The second seed has reached the last four to take on the British wildcard after world No. 114 continued his remarkable run by eliminating ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. This marks Zverev’s first Wimbledon semi-final and comes on the heels of his French Open triumph last month, which finally ended his long wait for a grand slam title, and his quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz that halted a losing streak against the American.
Two years ago, Zverev defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Centre Court in the Wimbledon third round, and now he will face the home hopeful Fery, a wildcard, in the semi-finals on Friday. “I’m very happy to play him in the semi-finals,” Zverev said. “I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere. Of course, I know that 99 per cent of the people will be cheering for him. But I also enjoy those kinds of atmospheres. I enjoy when the energy is very high.”
Zverev added that he has grown accustomed to varied crowds. “For me, British crowds, the crowd here at Wimbledon, is always quite fair. They cheer loud and energetic, but they’re still fair. I look forward to that challenge. I’m almost 30 years old. I’ve been on tour long enough. I feel like I’ve seen the most hostile crowds, tough crowds, and even unfair crowds at times. I feel like I should know how to handle it; I’ve learned how to handle it. I always sense that the English crowd here, especially in London, is fairly forgiving. Yes, they can be loud and cheerful, but that’s okay. So I’m just looking forward to a tough challenge in the slam semi-finals.”
Fery is poised to rise to No. 36 in the rankings after becoming the first wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since Goran Ivanišević, who won the title in 2001. He was outside the world’s top 300 a year ago, but has since emerged as only the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open Era. Zverev noted that he first saw Fery in action when the French-born Londoner defeated Cobolli in the Australian Open first round as a qualifier earlier this season—Fery’s first Grand Slam main-draw win outside Wimbledon.
“I was very impressed back then already,” Zverev said. “He has a very clean technique and very clean groundstrokes. I thought he was a very good tennis player already back then. Of course, it’s maybe a surprise a little bit that he’s in the semi-finals, but I think he deserves it. The wins he has had and the way he fought back in a couple of matches are great to see. It’s a great story.”
Fery, for his part, indicated he expects a step up against Zverev but believes he is ready for the challenge. He will aim to produce another upset on the world stage, using the momentum of his breakthrough Wimbledon run to fuel what he hopes will be a deep run in the tournament. The semi-final matchup promises a dramatic clash, with Zverev looking to cap his own resurgence at the All England Club and Fery seeking to continue his unlikely fairytale ascent.