Born to French parents but brought up in South London, just minutes from the temple of tennis where he has the chance to make history, Fery’s journey to breakout stardom has not always been straightforward.
But, while making his name as a teen on the US school circuit, he was guided to the doorstep of greatness by a Jewish coach – and it all started with an email.
Arthur Fery plays a backhand slice against Flavio Cobolli during their Gentlemen's Singles quarterfinal match on day ten of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2026 (Getty Images)Getty Images
Having just finished his education at King’s College School, all the while balancing his studies with his tennis career, Fery reached out to Paul Goldstein, head of the world-renowned men’s tennis programme at Stanford University.
"I got an email from him, so he actually reached out to me initially and I was very excited,” Goldstein told ATPTour.com.
"My recollection [of his story is] he was always one of the top British players from his age group in the UK, but then there was a time [when he was aged around 14 or 15] when a lot of his peers chose to prioritise tennis over school, and he ended up going to King's College.
"So he was still trying to balance school with tennis, so maybe it took a bit of a back burner during that period. But he really started to play quite well in his last year or two before going to college.
"I remember going over to watch him play for the first time after having talked to him for a bit.
"In one of the grass warm-up junior tournaments for Wimbledon. It was the week before Roehampton. I watched him play for the first time there and got to spend a little bit of time with him.
"Then I had dinner with his parents before I went back from that trip. Then, fortunately, he decided to come to Stanford, and we were thrilled.”
Arthur Fery celebrates his victory against Grigor Dimitrov during their Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match on day eight of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 06, 2026 (Getty Images)Getty Images
Under Goldstein’s watchful eye, Fery rose to become the top-ranked men’s college player in the US, propelling him onto the ATP’s Challenger Series, one rung below the main Tour on the pro ladder.
“[He is] just an extraordinarily mature young man,” the coach went on. “I noticed that at the time he got to campus at 18 years old. Really unfazed by the transition of coming from the UK, 9,000 miles away to a college campus for the first time.
"He was really unfazed by that transition and just managed it seamlessly. If anything, the words that come to mind are poise, composure and maturity.
"The other thing that comes to mind with him is innovation. He was always willing, and in fact eager, to try different things to succeed in tennis, and I don’t just mean with his strokes but off the court.
"With his weight training, with his mental performance training. I say innovative, but really on the cutting edge is what I would say. He really wanted to try things and was a really independent and creative thinker, both on the court and in terms of how he approached being the best player he could be.”
Arthur Fery celebrates his victory against Flavio Cobolli during their Gentlemen's Singles quarterfinal match on day ten of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2026 (Getty Images)Getty Images
In particular, Goldstein recalled working extensively on Fery’s breathing and eye movement, trying to give him the sort of intangible edge enjoyed by the best players.
One of those in Alexander Zverev, the world number three and former French Open champion, who is Fery’s semi-final opponent. A win for Fery would set up a historic final clash with either defending champion Jannick Sinner or the all-time great Djokovic.
But Goldstein praised the 23-year-old’s backhand as “one of the more exceptional shots in the world” and backed him to make waves on the Tour.
"I have to say, [he’s] just a quality human being,” he added. “I’ve been working now for 12 years with young men in that 18-to-22-year-old range and just the maturity with which he managed his relationships, with coaches, with peers, with friends, was different.”
