Twenty five years after Goran Ivanisevic became the first wildcard to win Wimbledon, Britain’s Arthur Fery is three wins away from becoming the second.
Born in Paris, raised in Wimbledon, this cross-Channel Fery is chugging further and faster than anyone could have anticipated.
On his Centre Court debut, on the biggest day of his life he produced the best match of his life – and all with Roger Federer looking on from the Royal Box.
The 23-year-old beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 and, for the second match in a row, the 5ft 9in pocket rocket proved he could squeeze through the narrowest gap; wriggle out of the stickiest situation.
Having come from 4-1 down in both the fourth and fifth sets of his second-round win over Zizou Bergs, Fery, trailing Dimitrov two sets to one, twice recovered from a break in the fourth set.
The man who began the grass court season with two Tour-level wins in his life has forgotten how to lose.
Arthur Fery appeared to mouth an expletive in shock after reaching Wimbledon quarter-finals
Fery takes the acclaim of Centre Court after dispatching of Grigor Dimitrov
He has played four tiebreaks this fortnight and won the lot, and here is one illustration of his priceless ability to bring his best in the most pregnant moments: across three hours and 55 minutes Fery struck seven aces – and two of those came within five minutes of each other in the deciding tiebreak.
‘It’s incredibly hard to describe what I have just felt on that tennis court,’ he told the crowd afterwards, and as he continued his ability to form full sentences deserted him: ‘First time on this court, against an absolute legend of the game…I grew up five minutes from here…we’ve got the greatest of all time watching…’
On another comeback: ‘It’s been the story of the tournament, I’m playing really well with my back against the wall.’
He will face Italian No 9 seed Flavio Cobolli in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Even to parochial eyes, there were compelling narratives on both sides of the court: the Ferytale and the fairytale, if you will.
This was the first time in Grand Slam history two wildcards had faced off in the fourth round or later. Fery’s reason for being handed that golden ticket was obvious; in Dimitrov’s case the story is a little darker.
Britain’s Fery is three wins away from becoming the second wildcard winner at Wimbledon
The 23-year-old beat the wily Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
It was on this very same second Monday of Wimbledon last year, on this very same court, when Dimitrov tore a pectoral muscle when leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets to love.
Eleven months and two weeks of the subsequent time has been hellish for the Bulgarian as first the physical and then the mental pain threatened to end the 35-year-old’s career.
Suffering from flashbacks and crippling uncertainty, he came into the grass season with a seasonal record of one win and 11 defeats – including seven in a row.
But a couple of wins apiece in Dublin and Mallorca sparked a flame and that has grown into an inferno at Wimbledon as his talent has blazed into light.
Dimitrov was known in his early career as Baby Fed, his flowing single-handed backhand and all-round style reminiscent of the great Swiss.
The man himself, Roger Federer, was there the night of the Sinner match, looking on in horror from the Royal Box as his friend limped from the court; and here both men had played five-set matches coming into this fourth round, Fery that act of escapology against Bergs, Dimitrov an absorbing tussle with Matteo Berrettini.
In theory, this was a match between the 114th (Fery) and the 146th best tennis players in the world – the quality of the spectacle told otherwise.
As the surfaces have homogenized over the past 20 years, men’s tennis has largely become a baseline battle of power and endurance.
This was a throwback to old school grass-court tennis. These two can give the ball a wallop – Fery had a forehand clocked at over 100mph this fortnight – but they can wield the surgeon’s knife as well as the butcher’s cleaver.
Roger Federer was looking on from the Royal Box as Fery made his Centre Court debut
After a couple of shanks in the first couple of games Fery settled well. There has been a serenity about his play here that suggested he would not be discombobulated by the occasion.
At 5-5, having thus far won only two points on the Dimitrov serve, Fery broke to love, cracking a couple of backhands and then hammering a forehand return.
For all the aesthetic beauty of the Dimitrov backhand – whether sliced or driven – it is his weaker side and Fery directed the majority of his fire in that direction.
Off his own backhand wing, Fery was simply not missing. Incredibly, he got through a set and seven games with one single unforced error on that side – and then it all fell apart, as he made three unforced errors in a row to concede the break at 3-4 in the second set.
Fery headed off-court for an eight-minute loo break – sadly standard practice these days. Of course, if you gotta go you gotta go but if it was more of an attempt to recentre himself, there is always the possibility you go further off-kilter.
And, upon his return to Centre Court, Fery played a second ragged service game in a row. The quality of the Brit backhand in the first period of the match meant Dimitrov was largely forced to employ his delightful but less offensive slice.
As Fery’s level dipped Dimitrov began unfurling his majestic single-hander. One he unleashed down the line at the start of the third set would have made Federer himself purr – sadly the great man was off court at the time, no doubt tucking into afternoon tea.
The man who began the grass court season with two Tour-level wins in his life has forgotten how to lose
As Fery went an early break down in the fourth set the scoreboard looked imposing. But having come back from 4-1 down in both the fourth and fifth sets of his third-round win over Zizou Bergs, Fery was not about to panic.
He broke back; Dimitrov broke again; Fery broke back again. At 4-5, 0-40 on the Dimitrov serve Fery had three points to take it into a fifth set. On the third he hammered a backhand past Dimitrov at the net and launched into a wild, fist-pumping jig of delight.
The fifth set was fearfully tight – even Federer was leaning forward in his chair, in tune with the tension of the match. At 4-4 and again at 5-5, Fery extracted himself from sticky situations.
And so to a match tiebreak – first to 10 points – Fery’s second in a row here. He opened it with only his fifth ace of the match and went 4-2 up with a punched backhand return and a rush to the net – the modern equivalent of the Henman chip and charge. Dimitrov won three points in a row, then double faulted.
Another wonderful volley combination from Fery made it 6-6. Then another ace. Dimitrov went wide and Fery led 8-7 – win two points on his serve and he was home. He dug a backhand deep into the corner and Dimitrov sliced into the net – how often had we seen that play pattern?
A Dimitrov return into the net and Centre Court erupted in noise. It may not be the Azteca but when Fery needed it most, this grand old arena roared him home.
