Arthur Fery said he will not pay attention to any social media hype surrounding his breakthrough run at Wimbledon, and claimed he is ready for the elevated attention that comes with being the only British singles player in the second week when he faces Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.
Fery will break new ground on Monday as he competes in the second week of a grand slam tournament for the first time in his career after rolling through three wins last week. He had never previously passed the second round of a grand slam championship and so this run has naturally generated much attention.
“I won’t look at social media,” Fery said. “Or very little. Yeah, my WhatsApp and all that. Obviously, there’s a lot of messages and a lot of support and I’m super grateful for it, but I obviously can’t let myself fall into that trap. And I’m sure I’ll have time after the tournament’s done, whenever that is, to enjoy.”
Although this is the best result of his career by a clear distance, it is hardly shocking for Fery, who has shown his potential on numerous occasions this year. He started the season by qualifying for the Australian Open and defeating Flavio Cobolli, the French Open finalist later in the year, in the first round.
Fery was also the last British man standing at the Queen’s Club tournament, where he narrowly lost his quarter-final match in three sets against the eventual champion Francisco Cerúndolo. Considering he has improved steadily over the years rather than appearing in this position out of nowhere, he feels he is well prepared for this moment.
“It’s something that’s been in the works for a long time,” Fery said. “Again, I haven’t gone from zero to this suddenly. So it’s something that you prepare yourself for. And I feel like you only really break through when you’re ready to. Otherwise you don’t get through matches like I did today. So yeah, I feel like I’m ready.
“I mean there’s obviously going to be differences. It’s not going to be like a completely different life that I’m leading Sunday in two weeks, unless I win the tournament. But yeah, I’m ready for it. I’m just going to stay grounded and not going to change really.”
Fery has had the good fortune of avoiding seeded players throughout his run this year. Although that trend will continue in the fourth round against a fellow wildcard, there is no doubt about Dimitrov’s pedigree. He is a former No 3 and a previous semi-finalist here, with a ranking that does not reflect his ability.
Dimitrov was ranked No 21 at Wimbledon last year when he led Jannik Sinner, the top seed, by two sets in the fourth round before he was forced to withdraw with a pectoral injury that sidelined him for months and left a heavy mark on his mentality, leading to the toughest year of his career. Having been handed a main-draw wildcard, he has put together one of the most emotional and heartwarming runs of the past few years, finally addressing the many mental scars he carried with him in the aftermath of his efforts last year.
This is certainly a big opportunity for Dimitrov to advance to the quarter-finals, which he seemed destined to do last year, but he also refused to underestimate the challenge presented by Fery.
“It’s not going to be an easy match. I have seen him play. He’s a great competitor. He’s playing at home. I mean, second week, Wimbledon, big court. I can totally get it,” Dimitrov said, smiling, on the level of support Fery will receive.
“No, I’m going to approach this match as every other match. There’s nothing has changed on my side. I’m just really going to focus on my side of the net and what I want to be doing out there and achieving on the court.”
