Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Arthur Fery is only the sixth Briton to reach the Wimbledon men's quarter-finals in the Open era
ByJonathan JurejkoBBC Sport tennis news reporter at Wimbledon- Published44 minutes ago
Who predicted British wildcard Arthur Fery would be a Wimbledon quarter-finalist this year? Not even the man himself.
Fery, ranked 114th in the world, illustrated that when he explicitly mouthed his surprise after beating Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16.
Now the 23-year-old will aim to reach the semi-finals when he plays Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday.
Cobolli, 24, was the runner-up at last month's French Open and, after becoming a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year, has showed again he can excel on grass.
"Arthur still starts as the underdog given the difference in ranking and top-level experience," said BBC Sport analyst Jamie Murray.
"But he has proven to be a great grass-court player and poses a lot of different questions to opponents."
Before the Centre Court contest, BBC Sport examines how Fery could beat Cobolli and become only the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon last four since 1968.
Use sharp movement and volley well
Much has been made of 5ft 9in Fery's stature, given he is shorter than most of his peers on the ATP Tour.
While the Wimbledon grass often suits 'servebots' - tall players who send down flurries of aces and unreturnable first serves - Fery has needed to use other weapons.
Fery's athleticism is one of his greatest strengths, enabling him to keep points alive and come forward at opportune times.
"Arthur is one of the best at retrieving balls and staying in the points," said Dimitrov's coach Jamie Delgado.
"When you're that height, your timing has to be really good - which Arthur's is. He can hit the ball at different heights and mix the pace well."
Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Fery has won 127 of the 201 volleys which he has hit at this year's Wimbledon
Fery's nimbleness means he is able to spring forward to finish points with volleys at the net.
Fery has won 78% of serve and volley points, and 63% of points overall at the net - the second highest percentage in the men's draw.
"That's been one of his biggest strengths this tournament," said seven-time major doubles champion Murray.
"He's played over 200 points which finished at the net and won a very high percentage."
'Crush and rush' to take time from Cobolli
Fery is ranked as the best mover among the men's quarter-finalists, just ahead of Cobolli and top seed Jannik Sinner.
Once a promising footballer on the books of Roma, Cobolli uses his athleticism to move into position and unleash his heavy forehand.
Murray thinks Fery needs to "crush and rush" Cobolli's second serve - return aggressively then move quickly to the net - so the world number 10 does not have time to settle on his next shot.
"Returning serve and coming forward forces an opponent to come up with a passing shot straight off the return of serve," said Murray.
"By implementing this strategy, it will neutralise Cobolli's ability to move around the court and steal points."
Cobolli has enjoyed a career-best season after winning a third ATP Tour title, reaching his first major final and cracking the top 10.
Dropping sets in his opening three rounds showed some vulnerability before he upped his level to sweep aside Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur.
"Arthur needs to put Cobolli under a lot of pressure and stop him using his forehand," said Alex Ward, an LTA men's national coach who has been helping Fery.
"He can use his backhand down the line because Cobolli likes to use his forehand from the backhand corner quite a lot."
Show he belongs in a Wimbledon quarter-final
Those who know Fery best describe someone who possesses an abundance of self-belief.
Fighting back from a set behind in all four wins has only enhanced his confidence, while he also looked at ease emotionally on his Centre Court debut.
Fery used the patriotic crowd to help energise him in the latter stages against Dimitrov and may look to the 15,000 home fans again for inspiration.
"Arthur does not look afraid of any situation," said former British number one Kyle Edmund, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2018.
"You see the way he conducts himself and the way he walks - it is like he belongs there."
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Fery beat Cobolli 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-1 at this year's Australian Open
Fery can take further belief from the fact he has already beaten Cobolli at a major this year.
At the Australian Open in January, Fery won in straight sets on his overseas Slam debut - helped by Cobolli struggling because of a stomach issue.
"Beating a top player boosts self-esteem and it is also important in the sense he knows what he can expect from an opponent like Cobolli," Fery's coach Jeroen Benard told BBC Sport.
"They have played each in juniors, they have played each other this year, so he knows who he is.
"But Cobolli knows who we are - and wants to take revenge."
Stay relaxed off the court
Fery grew up a short walk away from the All England Club and is enjoying the home comforts of staying with his family during the Championships.
Benard says everything else has stayed the same in Fery's camp, with the team enjoying talking about football and music before getting down to business.
Fery comes across as cool, calm and serious on court - and in his post-match interviews - but fellow British player Felix Gill described how his friend can be "silly" and "hilarious".
"Every morning when he gets treated we're watching World Cup highlights and we talk about day to day stuff - it's nothing different than if we are playing a Challenger in Croatia," said Benard.
"He's really good fun to be around. We joke a lot.
"He's just a normal 23-year-old who happens to be very good at sport."
