THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2026

Arthur Fery

Press Conference

A. FERY/O. Virtanen

5-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Arthur, great win today. How are you feeling?

ARTHUR FERY: Thanks. Yeah, feel tired right now. Yeah, obviously really, really pleased with the performance, the result.

Yeah, just looking forward to playing the next round.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What did it mean for you to play in front of the Princess of Wales today?

ARTHUR FERY: I didn't know she was coming. I didn't know that, yeah, that was the case. So I can't really answer your question.

Yeah, I mean, it's obviously an honor to play in front of her. Yeah, I guess if I'd known, it would have maybe made me a little tight. Yeah, I guess it's an honor to play in front of her.

Q. You didn't notice the buzz in the crowd when she arrived on court?

ARTHUR FERY: No, I didn't, no. I was locked in. I didn't hear it.

Q. You've obviously been to the second round of a slam a couple times now. What does it mean to you to go that step further now for the first time?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, it was something that I wanted to do to keep moving forward in my career. I had obviously reached the second round of a slam twice before. Yeah, no, it's a great hurdle to overcome today.

Putting two good performances together back to back, it's not easy. Obviously in a big tournament like this, there's a lot going on. Sometimes it's easy to get stuck into that once you win a match.

Yeah, that's what I'm focusing on. Going to try to keep going that direction.

Q. Give us an insight into your background. When you're playing opponents that are quite significantly taller, how have you managed to adapt your game? How have you managed to get to this level, being as good as you are, when you've had to adapt to playing giants, if you like?

ARTHUR FERY: I mean, tennis is a sport where I think everyone, like all heights, can thrive in a certain way. Yeah, obviously first round I played Dzumhur who is similar height to me, doesn't serve fast at all. Very different game style to Virtanen today.

Yeah, I tried to return with very good quality, and yeah, I mean, move better than guys who are taller. He was serving consistently 135, 140 today. Yeah, I've just got to try... Yeah, my returning is a strength, my movement, just general court craft.

Q. You're a local lad. Would you have been aware of the championship as a kid? Did you ever sneak in under the gates or get a ball signed or a signature?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, I grew up 10 minutes from here. I've come here loads since I've been very young. Yeah, it's been a long road since then. Obviously playing here now is, yeah, it's unreal.

Q. Coming off the back of that, you had lots of friends in the crowd, your parents there. Your mum was a professional tennis player. How does it feel to have all that support for you today?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, playing, as I said, five minutes from where I grew up, it's super special. Lots of friends, family, family members, yeah, people that I know in the crowd.

When I do look around, I always see a familiar face. I have support from everyone when I'm not playing at home, as well. Yeah, it's a little different to be playing at home, for sure.

Q. Hopefully you won't be, but there is a chance you might be the only Brit left standing in the third round. How do you reflect maybe on the pressure or expectation, excitement of that, carrying the hopes of the British public on your shoulders?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say it's pressure. If anything, for me personally it's a good thing. Obviously for the Brits in general, it's not as good. We'd love to have as many Brits as possible in the third round.

Yeah, there's no pressure attached to it. I play for myself. Yeah, I want to win just for myself. If there are other Brits as well in the third round, it's awesome.

I hope Jacob will win. I don't know what the score is. I hope he'll be able to through. I get along super well with all the other guys, with the Brits. I wish him the best, but I'm playing for myself.

Q. After the match you had a moment where you put your hands on the net. Were you thinking about the journey to this point?

ARTHUR FERY: No, not really. Yeah, just trying to obviously keep the emotions in check until the end. When I saw that ball go past him, yeah, obviously a lot of relief, a lot of pride. Just trying to take it in and take a moment for myself.

Yeah, the rest, I tried to think more about the match and what it means and everything in the coming days, or at the end of the tournament.

Q. Can you talk to the experience of Stanford, how that helped develop your game. High academic level at Stanford. The balance of playing and studying, as well.

ARTHUR FERY: I went to Stanford when I was 18, just coming out of juniors. Wasn't necessarily ready to be playing full-time on the futures tour, challenger tour. So went there.

Yeah, chose Stanford because of the academics, because it was going to give me a great kind of backup plan if tennis didn't work out. Yeah, it was just a great mix between academics and a super-strong tennis program, as well.

Yeah, went there. I did three years there. Yeah, I think it helped me mature, gave me a bit of time without too much pressure. Just develop personally more than tennis-wise.

I came out of Stanford and started playing the tour in 2022 or 2023. I was hungry and really ready to get my ranking up and attack the tour.

Q. You're playing Zizou Bergs next round. You never played professionally but you played him six years ago in Bratislava. Do you remember that? What was it like?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, I remember it. It was indoor hard. Yeah, I think it was 7-6, 6-2 or 6-1, something like that. Yeah, I mean, he's obviously a great player. He's improved a lot since then. So have I.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to the match. I'm playing well. Whoever I'm facing, I'm confident in myself. I'm sure it's going to be a great match.

Q. Big court, as well. Maybe No. 1 Court?

ARTHUR FERY: No idea. I'm not going to speculate. Yeah, I assume so. I assume one of those courts, yeah. It will be great to have a lot of people watching and a lot of support.

Q. Your mum was also a pro player. Would you say she's been your greatest inspiration of getting to this point?

ARTHUR FERY: Inspiration? I don't know. Yeah, both my parents have really contributed to kind of my development as a tennis player in different ways.

Yeah, I mean, having that expertise from my mum's side, and my dad knows sport as well, so having that kind of knowledge and experience in professional sport really helped with key decisions in my development.

So yeah, I'm really, really grateful that I got that help from them. That kind of, yeah, experience from them, like sending me to college, keeping me in school when some players went full-time at 14 or 12. Yeah, I mean, that's why I'm now 23, 24, maybe a bit older than some of the guys who are breaking through earlier.

But I feel fresh and I feel like I can play for a long time.

Q. Obviously the tennis tour is so global. What difference does it make to be able to walk or drive home and sleep in your own bed when you're competing?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, it's really nice. We don't have that luxury very often. We're always in hotels, Airbnbs or apartments.

Yeah, it's been nice staying at home for Queen's, staying at home for Wimbledon now, having family around. Yeah, it's really nice. It feels like I'm at home, and the drive's not long. Yeah, it's nice.

Q. On support from your mother, she played at the French Open herself, does she offer you any tips on the court and do you take them on board?

ARTHUR FERY: I mean, yeah, advice you get from your parents, it maybe weighs a bit more than anyone else's advice (smiling).

She traveled with me to tournaments when I was younger when I didn't necessarily have a coach, traveling with me all the time. Yeah, she would give me advice then and help me with my tennis.

Now she just leaves me to it. I have a great team behind me. They do great work. So no, she doesn't give me any tennis advice.

Yeah, life advice as any parent does is always very useful.

Q. You said earlier you play for yourself. Wimbledon, national expectations, hopes of a nation. As someone brought up in the UK but with French parents, a lot of family in France, how important is it for you to be representing Britain?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, I mean, I feel very, very British now. Yeah, it's been a long time that I've lived in the UK. I've, yeah, spent a lot of time here. I train at the National Tennis Centre. The federation helped me lots.

No, I feel completely British now. Maybe 10 years ago you ask me the question, it would be a bit different. Now I feel very British at heart.

What was the question?

Q. How important is it for you to be representing your country?

ARTHUR FERY: Yeah, it's great. I feel proud to represent the nation. Yeah, hopefully I'll keep representing them in a good manner.

Q. Was there a point when you had to pledge your allegiance to Britain? Did you have a choice?

ARTHUR FERY: I played briefly for France when I was 10 or 12. I think I played like Summer Cup or Winter Cup for the UK or GB. That meant that I had to play for GB for another three or four years.

By that point, there was really no decision to make. I was living here, I was training at the NTC. I was in the system here. There was really no question.