Arthur Fery is writing a little fairy tale at Wimbledon. Even the princess and a legend are his fans.
First, Arthur Fery cried after converting the match point; then, completely overcome with emotion, he leaned on the net. Moments earlier, the Brit had continued his little fairy tale at Wimbledon, keeping the hopes of a suffering nation alive. Now he even has royal fans.
On Court 18, none other than Princess Kate mingled with the spectators during his match against Finland’s Otto Virtanen, which ended 5–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–3. And England’s legend, Tim Henman, was watching from just a few meters away. And the celebrated hero? He didn’t even notice any of it.
Speaking with the BBC while still on the court, he admitted: “No, I didn’t know Princess Kate was there. If I’d known, I probably would have been a lot more nervous. Of course, there are a lot of fans from my home country here, and it’s fantastic to play in front of all these people. It gives all Brits a real boost.”
Princess Kate Cheers on British Hope
Fery is also being celebrated so much because the home crowd has no one else left to cheer for. Stars Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper withdrew shortly before the tournament began.
The other British players then hit a historic low. As early as Monday, ten pros were knocked out—and no one advanced! So Fery is the only remaining hope for both the women’s and men’s draws in the third round.
So all eyes are on Fery. But the world No. 114, who arrived with low expectations and had never before won two matches at a Grand Slam, doesn’t really like all the attention.
“Of course, it’s nice to do this for Great Britain. But to be honest, I’m also doing it quite selfishly for myself,” he said. Princess Kate was no longer there and had returned to the Royal Box on Center Court.
