Britain's Arthur Fery will make his Centre Court debut at Wimbledon on Monday as the last British singles player standing. The world No. 114, who lives just minutes from the All England Club, faces Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the quarter-finals.
Fery's Centre Court Memories
Fery, 23, has special memories of watching Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the 2014 Wimbledon final from the stands. Now he will play on that same stage. Asked if he had ever been on Centre Court as a fan, Fery said: "Yeah, of course. I've watched matches on Centre Court before. I watched the final in 2014, I think Djokovic-Federer. That's my main memory of watching a big match there."
He added: "I would go down there and have a look around. We're used to playing in front of a lot of people in big stadiums. And Centre Court is probably the most famous tennis court in the world. I've played on other big courts, so I'm a bit… I'm not used to it, but I've had experiences on big courts before."
From Junior Events to Centre Court
A decade ago, while Andy Murray was winning Wimbledon for the second time, Fery was playing a junior event in Bournemouth. Now he is Britain's last hope of a singles champion this year. Fery reflected: "I was obviously nowhere near the player I am now. I stayed in normal school and I'm just a normal kid. Definitely, it would be crazy to tell me that 10 years ago. It's a whole journey. It's not just one step up; it's an accumulation of things."
The British wildcard, son of FC Lorient president Loic Fery, has already banked £300,000 for reaching the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. He will also break into the top 100, guaranteeing a place in the US Open main draw.
Ready for Life to Change
Fery is prepared for his life to change. He explained: "It's something that's been in the works for a long time. I haven't gone from zero to this suddenly. So it's something that you prepare yourself for. And I feel like you only really break through when you're ready to. I feel like I'm ready."
He added: "There's obviously going to be differences. It's not going to be a completely different life that I'm leading Sunday in two weeks, unless I win the tournament. I'm just going to stay grounded and not going to change, really."
Dimitrov's Comeback
Grigor Dimitrov, coached by Englishman Jamie Delgado, is back in the last 16 a year after injuring himself on Centre Court. Delgado, 49, coached Murray to his 2016 title and recently worked with Jack Draper before reuniting with Dimitrov. The Bulgarian wildcard said: "Me and Jamie have always worked well. We see the game the same way. I'm on a timeline, so it was important for me to set the boundaries, set the rules, and set the goals. That's just what it is."
It has been exactly 52 weeks since the former world No. 3 retired in tears after picking up a pectoral injury while leading Jannik Sinner by two sets to love on Centre Court. Dimitrov, 35, did not play again until October and needed a wildcard to return to SW19 after dropping out of the top 140. Now he is back in the last 16. He added: "I believe in destiny, but right now, we're just living in the moment."
