The Albany Gazette - Fery targets Wimbledon final birthday present after royal seal of approval

Fery stunned world number 10 Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday with a brilliant 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 victory in the quarter-finals on Centre Court.

The 23-year-old is the first male wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since Goran Ivanisevic won the title in 2001.

Fery will face French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the last four on Friday.

If the world number 114 can take his unbelievable All England Club run into the final, he would meet defending champion Jannik Sinner or seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic on his birthday.

The prospect of Fery celebrating turning 24 by becoming the first Briton to win Wimbledon in 10 years is straight out of a Hollywood movie -- which is somewhat fitting since Fery honed his tennis skills at Stanford University in California.

Fery's win against French Open finalist Cobolli was played in front of Britain's Queen Camilla, who met the rising star after the match to congratulate him.

"The queen was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her," Fery said.

"Great to meet her. She had some really kind words to me at the end. She just said, 'Congratulations, keep going'.

"I told her it was my birthday on Sunday, so it would be great to play the Wimbledon final on my birthday."

Fery is only the fifth British man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals and just the fourth wildcard to make the last four at a Grand Slam.

"I was nervous, because I really felt like, although I was in the quarter-final for the first time of a Slam, I felt like I could really beat my opponent," he said.

- 'An incredible story' -

Fery will leave Wimbledon sitting at least 36th in the rankings after a life-changing tournament.

It is an incredible rise for a player who was ranked outside the top 500 just 18 months ago after a bone stress injury in his arm.

He will be ranked even higher if he somehow emulates colourful Croat Ivanisevic by taking home the Wimbledon trophy.

"It's obviously an incredible story. I've watched the highlights of the Ivanisevic final before," Fery said.

"I'm just going to keep thinking ahead about my match on Friday, and then we'll see how it goes."

Fery's wealthy father Loic is the president of French football club Lorient, while his mother Olivia enjoyed a distinguished tennis career, winning two singles titles and playing at the French Open.

Fery moved from France to London as a young child and went to school in the Wimbledon area.

"I've lived here a long time. Maybe 10 years ago, you asked me that question, I probably would say I felt more French than English. Now it's not the case at all," Fery said of his heritage.

"I feel very British. I live here. All my best friends live here. I went to school here. I train here.

"Obviously my parents are still French, so we speak French with my family and cousins who still live in France. But my roots are very much tied to London now."

Having dispatched this year's French Open runner-up in Cobolli and beaten former world number three Grigor Dimitrov after trailing by two sets to one, Fery has shown he won't be intimidated by his unexpected presence on the big stage.

But he knows facing German second seed Zverev is another level entirely.

"Zverev is a step up again. I'm ready for it. I have nothing to lose," Fery said.

"I'm just going to go out there and put my game on the court, do what I've done, believe in myself. We'll see where that takes me."

(P.Clark--TAG)