Britain’s Arthur Fery says he will use the crowd to “my advantage” against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in their Wimbledon semi-final on Friday.
Wild card Fery is on a remarkable run after winning back-to-back five-set matches to reach the quarter-finals then beating French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in the last eight in straight sets on Wednesday.
But French Open champion Zverev will be another step up in quality as Fery looks to become just the second Briton after Andy Murray to reach the men’s singles Wimbledon final in tennis’ Open era, which began in 1968.
“I have the crowd behind me here, which is a huge help, especially on Centre Court, when you have so many people pushing me,” said Fery.
“I’ve been trying to use the crowd to my advantage in important moments, just to add a little pressure maybe to the opponents. I’ll try and do that again at moments that feel right on Friday.”
Arthur Fery is only the fifth Briton to play in the men’s singles semi-finals (AP)
Zverev says there will be a “great atmosphere” which he will “enjoy” despite most spectators being on Fery’s side.
“I’m almost 30 years old. I’ve been on tour for long enough. I feel like I’ve seen the most hostile crowds, I’ve seen tough crowds, I’ve seen unfair crowds as well,” he said.
“I feel like I should know how to handle it, I’ve learned how to handle it. I’m okay with it. I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they’re always quite fair. Yes, they can be loud, they can be cheerful, but that’s okay.
“I don’t mind it at all. I just look forward to a tough challenge in the semi-finals of a slam.”
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Alison Taylor, the former coach of Arthur Fery, reveals what it was like to train the 23-year-old in his younger days and what first stood out to her about him
Fery: I’ve got nothing to lose
Fery has visibly fed off the energy from supporters throughout the tournament and not shown any signs of feeling pressure on home turf.
The 23-year-old’s best Grand Slam run was the second round at the Australian Open earlier this year and Wimbledon 12 months ago.
After just four of the 19 British players in the men’s and women’s singles draws won their first-round matches, it looked like it would be a disappointing tournament for the home players.
Fery, who was ranked 114 coming into Wimbledon, says he’s been trying to keep away from the news and will try to see his semi-final against Zverev as “just another match”.
Alexander Zverev’s big serve and forehand will be aspects Fery will need to overcome
“I’m ready for it. I have nothing to lose. I’m just going to go out there and just put my game on the court, do what I’ve done, believe in myself. We’ll see where that takes me,” he added.
Zverev also says he won’t “overthink” the match and will watch Fery’s matches with his team to figure out a gameplan.
“The first time I watched him play was actually in Australia. He beat Cobolli in the first round. I was very impressed back then already,” he 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 that he had, the way he fought back in a couple of those matches, is great to see. It’s a great story.”
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