Sure, Arthur Fery comes from privilege – but it’s not why he’s shining at Wimbledon

Not long after Arthur Fery had fallen onto his back on the Centre Court grass, as if he was a puppet whose strings had been cut, the British wildcard who is taking over Wimbledon was asked if there were any other players he would compare himself to. It was humbly suggested to Fery, the 23-year-old who the world is now desperate to know everything about, that he had a similar game to Kei Nishikori, the Japanese star who reached No 4 in the world and a US Open final, and whose short stature and formidable backhand bear some resemblance to the Brit.

Fery, though, grew up hearing another comparison. “I don't have any off the top of my mind right now,” he said. “I used to sometimes be compared a little bit to [Andre] Agassi in the way that I stay close to the baseline, take balls early.” And if mentioning yourself in the same breath as legend of the sport - who won eight major titles and completed the career grand slam - strikes you as confident, it is. The self-belief coursing through Fery’s veins as the world No 114 has reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon has emerged as the most remarkable aspect of this breakthrough.

To Fery, somehow, all of this is normal. After the rush of his stunning straight-sets win over Flavio Cobolli had died down, the grin he flashed on Centre Court was quickly wiped from his face. No one saw this coming two weeks ago, but it seems a part of Fery did. “I've always believed in myself and believed that I could be a top player in the world,” he said, bluntly. Three years ago, in an video feature published by Stanford, the prestigious college where he played on a tennis scholarship, Fery can be seen talking about this aggressive baseline game and tendency to take the ball early. Even then, he mentioned his style being similar to Agassi.

At the time, Fery was ranked outside the world’s top 400. Now, he’s up to 36 in the live rankings. The rest of the country may be starting to learn Fery’s story, catching up to his talent and asking what has changed, but the assuredness in which he views himself has not.

Of course, on paper, it would help anyone’s confidence to grow up with a father who is one of France’s wealthiest men and a mother who played professionally for France and is a long-time member at the All England Club. Fery’s £900,000 in prize money for reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals is barely a slice of his father’s reported fortune of £275m. It is undeniable that he was born into immense privilege, growing up five minutes down the street from the gates of the All England Court and learning to play tennis across the road from Centre Court.

But it is far from a guarantee to build a career as a professional tennis player, let alone what is unfolding at Wimbledon. His run to the semi-finals has been one of grit and determination, of mental strength and a fearlessness to rise to the biggest moments. Fery said he was nervous before playing Cobolli, the ninth seed, yet his performance did not show it. Instead, he grew as the match progressed. “He loves the pressure. It’s something he was probably born with,” Fery’s Dutch coach Jeroen Benard said. “He really likes the magnitude of a match, a big stadium.”

On Friday, Fery will play second seed and French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. In the men’s locker room at Wimbledon, the only other players left are Jannik Sinner, the world No1. and defending champion, and Novak Djokovic. Between them, Djokovic, Sinner and Zverev have 79 grand slam semi-final appearances. Fery will be making his first, yet he acts, walks and talks like he belongs there.

Zverev will be a “step up”, Fery said. The German’s victory in Paris last month has released him of the burden of being the best player in the world to have not won a grand slam title and the 29-year-old’s shoulders have relaxed and loosened since returning to Wimbledon, where he is also into the semi-finals for the first time. Zverev possesses the tournament’s fastest average first serve, at 131mph, and there may be spells during Friday’s semi-final where the 5ft 9in Fery has to accept that the ball will fly past him through the court.

Naturally, though, Fery also backs himself as a “great returner”. His second-round opponent Otto Virtanen, after all, averaged first serves of 128mph and reached a top speed of 144mph, yet Fery was able to slowly work himself into the match. “Playing big servers is something I've really improved on,” Fery said. His ability to take the ball on the rise can immediately put his opponents on the back foot, while his natural movement on the grass allows Fery to overwhelm his opponents in a different way, like a buzzing wasp they can’t swat away.

“I'm ready for it,” Fery said. “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.”

So far, it’s taken Fery to the stage where he always believed he would belong, as he now makes a name for himself.