Arthur Fery battles back from brink and nosebleeds to reach Wimbledon fourth round, keeping British singles hopes alive
British wildcard Arthur Fery overcame a two-set deficit, three nosebleeds and a 4-1 hole in the decider to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs in a five-set thriller on Court 18, becoming the first home player to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since Andrew Foster in 1993.
The match
Arthur Fery, a 23-year-old wildcard ranked 114th, defeated world number 37 Zizou Bergs 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in four hours and 38 minutes on Saturday. The victory on a packed Court 18 made him the only British player left in the singles draws after 15 of the nation's 19 starters lost in the first round.
Fery trailed by a double break at 4-1 in the fourth set and again at 4-1 in the fifth, but the home crowd roared him back both times. A nosebleed halted play when he served at 4-5 in the decider, yet he regrouped to dominate the first-to-10 tiebreak, clinching it 10-5.
A lot of first times today for me. Just so proud of how I handled everything. First five-setter (win), longest match that I've ever played, first time breaking into the top 100, first second week in a slam, all at home, five minutes from where I grew up.
The crowd factor
Fery specifically requested to stay on the 750-capacity Court 18 rather than move to a larger show court, and the raucous atmosphere repaid him. Fans climbed onto benches and balconies to watch, chanting "C'mon Arthur!" throughout the final sets.
It's unbelievable to have support. It definitely helps me. Clearly at the end of the fifth, the crowd played a huge part in that. I was really, really grateful to have them behind me.
The nosebleed issue
The nosebleeds have troubled Fery throughout the grass-court season and required three medical interventions during the match. Because blood is an exception to the usual one-timeout rule, play was paused each time, disrupting Bergs's rhythm. Fery plans to seek treatment after the tournament to resolve the problem permanently.
Background and path
Born in France to former professional player Olivia Fery and FC Lorient owner Loic Fery, Fery grew up a five-minute walk from the All England Club and chose to represent Britain. He played three years of college tennis at Stanford, earning All-American honours in 2022 and 2023, before turning professional. His run to the Queen's Club quarter-finals earlier this summer as a wildcard lifted his ranking to a career-high 118, and his Wimbledon exploits will now carry him into the top 100 for the first time.
- Bergs takes the opener 6-2.
- Fery levels the match 7-5.
- Bergs regains the lead 6-2.
- Fery trails by a double break but fights back to force a tiebreak, winning it 7-3.
- Bergs again leads by a break; Fery claws back to 5-5.
- Play is halted for Fery's third nosebleed of the match while he serves to stay in the set.
- Fery dominates the first-to-10 tiebreak 10-5, sealing victory after 4h 38m.
What's next
Fery will face either Italy's Matteo Berrettini or Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16. He is the second British wildcard in the Open era to reach the men's last 16 at a major, matching Andrew Foster's 1993 Wimbledon run.
