Wimbledon thought it had seen everything - then Arthur Fery arrived

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Wimbledon thought it had seen everything - then Fery arrived Figure caption, Fabulous Fery storms past Cobolli to make Wimbledon historyByJonathan Jurejko Sport tennis news reporter at WimbledonPublished34 minutes agoDays like these for British players at Wimbledon need to be cherished. Andy Murray ending the nation's 77-year wait for a men's singles champion in 2013 was the height of euphoria, and his commanding win three years later was not far behind. Home hopes Johanna Konta and Cameron Norrie also sparked fervent support by unexpectedly reaching the semi-finals in the past nine years.

There was some logic to the memorable British runs that have illuminated the All England Club in recent years. But wildcard Arthur Fery storming into the semi-finals? Nobody saw that coming - and those who were there celebrated accordingly.

The Details

Champagne corks popping throughout 23-year-old Fery's remarkable three-set win over ninth seed Flavio Cobolli - including one which the Italian complained put him off his service motion - proved fitting. And a few fans likely left Centre Court in pursuit of a tipple to mark arguably British tennis' finest day in its grand old home since Murray's second title a decade ago. Fery is not celebrating yet.

He's got a Wimbledon semi-final against German second seed Alexander Zverev coming up on Friday. "I felt emotions that I've never experienced before in my life in that last game," said Fery, who had won just two Grand Slam main-draw matches before this fortnight. "I have the crowd behind me here, which is a huge help.

"It was a day the 15,000 home fans on Centre Court, thousands more on Henman Hill - sorry, Arthur's Seat - and those engrossed across the country will never forget. For Fery, it is a life-affirming moment. British wildcard Fery stuns Cobolli to reach semi-finals Published2 hours agoFery is just the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since the Open era began in 1968.

What Experts Say

Only four men have reached a Grand Slam men's semi-final as a wildcard, with Fery joining Jimmy Connors (1991 US Open), Henri Leconte (1992 French Open) and Goran Ivanisevic (2001 Wimbledon). Of those three, only Ivanisevic went on to win the title. Fery will now rise to 36th in the world, having never cracked the top 100 before this tournament.

It assures him of direct entry into the sport's biggest tournaments for the foreseeable future. A cheque of £900,000 - which will increase further if he beats French Open champion Zverev - will be another financial injection to further develop his career. "I don't really see results as a monetary value, I see it more as a result of a lot of work put in throughout the years," Fery told Sport after reaching the Australian Open main draw in January.

In Melbourne, he talked about being able to "reinvest" in his tennis, but, in truth, money has never been an object.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.