Fery Maintains Confidence Ahead of Key Match
British wildcard Arthur Fery is preparing for the biggest match of his career on Wednesday by adhering to the approach that has propelled him to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The young player emphasized his commitment to his current strategy, which has yielded significant success.
“I’m just going to stick to what I’ve been doing, just keep believing in myself, not letting go of matches, and we’ll see where that takes me,”
“I’m not going to change anything now. It’s working, I feel good.”
Following his remarkable victory over former world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court two days ago, Fery will face the ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, one of the tour’s most in-form players. Fery’s confidence is bolstered by a previous win against Cobolli earlier this year.
After successfully navigating the Australian Open qualifying rounds in January, Fery defeated Cobolli, then ranked No 22, in straight sets, marking one of the highest-ranked opponents he has overcome. He believes this experience will serve him well in their upcoming rematch.
“Definitely,” he said. “It’s going to be a good match regardless. I’m expecting it to be very, very difficult and different to Australia. Completely different conditions. I’m sure he’s going to be at 100% of his capacities here, which maybe he wasn’t quite 100% in Australia. I played really well in Australia. Felt like I dominated the match. So we’ll use that experience for Wednesday.”
Cobolli’s Perspective and Current Form
From Cobolli’s standpoint, the previous encounter holds little relevance as he was unwell during the Australian Open and not at full strength. Since that loss, Cobolli’s performance has markedly improved. He has amassed a 10-1 win-loss record in Grand Slam tournaments and reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open last month, where he was defeated by Alexander Zverev.
His current form is evident in his recent matches, including a strong showing against the fifth seed Alex de Minaur. The 24-year-old Italian is playing the best tennis of his career to date.
Fery’s Journey and Injury Challenges
Fery’s path to success has required considerable patience. His development included competing in the college tennis system at Stanford and overcoming a bone bruise injury to his arm, an issue that has also affected fellow British player Jack Draper, who withdrew from Wimbledon just before the tournament. Even after his victory over Cobolli in Australia, Fery’s arm was not fully healed, leading to nearly two months without competition until March.
The injury has been a persistent challenge since Fery began working with Dutch coach Jeroen Benard in April of the previous year.
“It’s only been a year together, but it has been a long journey, regarding the injuries,”
Benard said. “The injury was not just then, it was an injury that reoccurred on a monthly basis. Every time we started, he got hurt. We tried everything to get him healthy.”
Despite these setbacks, Benard has always believed in Fery’s potential.
“In potential, definitely. Yes. I have told my parents this, what was it, five days ago? I said I knew that the potential was there. That it comes out, that quick – that’s tough to answer. For me as well. You hope, always – you don’t expect – but you see that there are definitely a lot of skills and tools that this could happen. That it happens here is great.”
Fery’s Playing Style and Mental Strength
Throughout Wimbledon, Fery has demonstrated a combination of defensive skills, precise timing, tactical intelligence, and proficiency at the net, all of which enable him to challenge top players like Cobolli.
“He’s just a smart player,”
Jamie Murray said. “He reads the game very well, better than most. He’s quick to see when someone’s off balance or maybe going to have to take a hand off the racket. You can see he’s straight into the net and he’s very accomplished at little drop volleys or really whatever volley he wants to play.”
However, Fery’s defining attribute during this tournament run has been his mental toughness. He has secured victories through consecutive fifth-set tie-breaks against both Bergs and Dimitrov after trailing in each match.
“Oh, he loves the pressure,”
Benard said. “That’s something for sure. That’s something that I see with him.
In Australia, I was more nervous to go on that big court than he was. In some sense, he really likes the magnitude of a match, a big stadium. It’s something that probably, I don’t know, he’s born with. I would, I cannot swear, but I would … my pants. All credit to him.”
Greg Rusedski, former British No 1, also highlighted Fery’s resilience as a key strength.
“I like his swagger, his fortitude, the way he never gives up. [Against] Bergs he was done and dusted, double break, found a way to turn it around; again in the fifth, down a break and finds a way to win. Dimitrov, two to one down, down a break in the fourth; amazing resilience, amazing belief, just don’t think about it. Why shouldn’t he be in the semis? What a run. What a moment.”
