Wildcard Arthur Fery's Wimbledon run ends as Zverev reaches final; Sinner sweeps Djokovic

Arthur Fery had already postponed a holiday to Greece. On Friday, his unexpected journey through the Wimbledon draw ended at the hands of Alexander Zverev, who advanced to his first final at the All England Club with a straight-sets victory.

The 23-year-old Briton, ranked 114th at the start of the tournament, became the first wildcard in 25 years to reach the men's semi-finals. He had won only two matches in total at the majors before this month.

Zverev ends the dream

Zverev took time to find his stride, trading early breaks with Fery in blustery conditions on Centre Court. The 29-year-old German seized control in the first-set tiebreak, winning it 7-0 without dropping a point. From there, he dialled up his intensity, breaking Fery twice in the second set to run out a 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 winner.

It might have been just a step too far. The opponent was a step up again.

The vociferous Centre Court crowd rallied behind Fery as the match slipped away, but Zverev's serve and forehand proved too strong. He became only the 13th man in the professional era since 1968 to reach all four Grand Slam finals.

A holiday on hold

Fery had been booked to fly to Greece this week with friends, a trip he rescheduled as he kept winning. "Was meant to be going to Greece with some friends. We'll see if that's still in the cards," he said. At least one friend had already flown out, hoping Fery would lose so he could join them. That friend returned two days later and supported him from the stands.

I definitely need some time off, process everything that's happened these past two weeks, have some time off tennis. Right now, I'm mentally, physically tired of the tournament.

Ranking leap and rising expectations

Fery will rise from No. 114 to No. 36 in the world rankings on Monday, making him the new British No. 1 and granting him automatic entry into the main draws of the biggest tour events. He collected £900,000 ($1.21 million) in prize money for reaching the last four. Fery acknowledged the expectations that will now follow him.

It's going to change things, for sure. I'm going to be able to play tour events at least for a full year, hopefully for more. It's going to be a challenge to deal with all of that.

Arthur's Seat fills the hill

An estimated 3,500 fans packed the grassy slope of Henman Hill, newly christened Arthur's Seat, to watch the match on a big screen. The hill was closed off before the first set ended as crowds swelled, with a queue of frustrated supporters snaking around the grounds. One fan unfurled an England flag with "King Arthur" written across it, in violation of the championship's large-flag rules. Claire Churchill, from Leatherhead, described the atmosphere as "brilliant" and said the crowd gave Fery a standing ovation "to show respect" despite the result.

Sinner sets up Sunday showdown

In the second semi-final, reigning champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner swept aside Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The 24-year-old Italian struck 40 winners in a dominant performance on Centre Court. Djokovic, now 39, was bidding for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title but has lost six major semi-finals since his last triumph at the 2023 US Open, four of them to Sinner. Zverev and Sinner will play for the title on Sunday (17:00 BST). Zverev has lost nine consecutive meetings against Sinner; Sinner is targeting his fifth Grand Slam crown.