Wimbledon hero Arthur Fery named his favourite tennis players but went against the grain with his selections
Arthur Fery revealed who his idols in tennis are and his answers might be surprising(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
Wimbledon sensation Arthur Fery revealed Nick Kyrgios and Gael Monfils were his favourite players to watch growing up – ahead of the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The young Brit made the admission back in 2020, long before his remarkable exploits at SW19, where he has become the first British wildcard to reach the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
The 23-year-old booked his place in the last eight with a stunning five-set victory over Grigor Dimitrov, setting up a quarter-final showdown with Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday. Fery – son of FC Lorient president Loic Fery – opened up about his preferred players to follow during his days on the junior tour, with his answer likely to raise a few eyebrows among tennis fans.
Speaking to the Harwich and Manning Tree Standard, Fery acknowledged the greatness of Federer and Nadal, but plumped for the showmanship of Kyrgios and Monfils as his must-watch players. “I would love to say Federer and Nadal, but I like Kyrgios, I like Monfils, those guys,” he said.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
“I think they bring a fresh wave to tennis with what they do, otherwise I find the sport is starting to get a bit more boring. I think these guys are good for tennis because it makes the sport more interesting, brings the fans to come and watch. When Kyrgios is playing, everyone watches.”
Although Federer didn’t feature in Fery’s response, the Swiss legend was named the greatest player of all time by him following his triumph over Dimitrov. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was present to witness the match and received a special mention from Fery during his post-match interview.
Fery told BBC Sport: “It’s been the story of the tournament for me. I was really close to losing my last round as well and again today, a breakdown in the fourth.
Fery was a fan of tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios(Image: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“Just trying to keep fighting, keep having a good attitude, committing to what I’m trying to do on the court and it managed to pay off. I’m playing really well with my back against the wall and again it paid off today.”
He added: “I grew up five minutes from here, I grew up coming to watch matches on this court. We’ve got probably the greatest of all time watching in the front row.
“I saw him. And now playing here in front of all you guys, having the support and winning. It’s unbelievable.”
Buy Wimbledon 2026 VIP tickets from Seat Unique
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Prices Vary
Seat Unique
Wimbledon 2026 is just around the corner and Seat Unique has tickets on sale now with VIP access.