LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - If it were a movie script, Arthur Fery's remarkable Wimbledon adventure would probably never have made it to the big screen because it seemed too far-fetched to be believable.
A 23-year-old who grew up within walking distance of Centre Court. Ranked 114th in the world. A wildcard entrant with only two previous Grand Slam match wins. Wimbledon semi-finalist?
Pull the other one.
In reality, that is only half of this quite extraordinary sporting tale that could yet have a conclusion that would rival anything in the annals of Wimbledon history.
Fery will face French Open champion and second seed Alexander Zverev on Friday. Win that and he would play in the final on Sunday on his 24th birthday with the chance to emulate Goran Ivanisevic who in 2001 became the only player to win the Wimbledon singles title as a wildcard.
CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE QUEEN
There is still a long way to go, of course, and Zverev will be a sizeable step up in class from ninth seed Flavio Cobolli who Fery dispatched 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 on a steamy Centre Court on Wednesday to become only the fifth British man in the professional era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
French-born Fery was watched by Britain's Queen Camilla from the front row of the Royal Box on Wednesday and had Princess Kate cheering him on last week against Otto Virtanen.
"The queen, she was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her. She just said, 'Congratulations, keep going'," Fery told reporters.
Tennis royalty in the shape of eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer nodded his approval during Fery's five-set cliffhanger against Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16.
Against Cobolli, Fery looked twice his 5ft 9in frame —returning balls he had no right to reach and at times looking impassable as he fed off the energy of the crowd in a scorching Centre Court cauldron.
'STAYING IN MY BUBBLE'
The enormity of what he has achieved may sink in before Friday. But do not expect Fery to buckle under the weight of his new-found fame — his journey has been carefully mapped out.
He delayed going full-time, opting instead for the U.S. college route — majoring in science, technology and society at Stanford University where he became the top-ranked college player in the country.
While his run may resemble a sporting fairytale for the ages, Fery takes everything in his stride and his measured responses to the questions of reporters eager for headline-grabbing quotes, mirrors the calmness he shows on court.
"It's good that I don't have two weeks before my next match. They keep coming fast. So that's good," he said. "Just staying in my bubble and just carrying on."
UNLIKELY STANDARD BEARER FOR BRITAIN
After a torrid start for the home nation with 15 of its 19 singles players knocked out in round one, Fery has become the unlikely standard bearer for Britain and the French tennis authorities might be ruing one that got away.
Fery was born close to Roland Garros in the Parisian suburb of Sevres. His parents are both French. Father Loic is a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who owns French soccer club Lorient while mum Olivia was a former professional.
Despite briefly representing France as a junior, Fery's credentials as a Brit are solid.
He moved to London as a child, attended King's College in Wimbledon, came through the British tennis system and said there was "no decision to make" when it came to his allegiance.
"He's a true Wimbledon boy," Fery's father told French sports daily L'Equipe. "It's like someone who grew up in Boulogne playing at Roland Garros. He went to school five minutes from here. He's always lived here."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman;Editing by Alison Williams)
