Wimbledon 2026 pages
Sports · Wimbledon 2026 · Men's Singles · Semi-finals
Alexander Zverevvs
Arthur Fery
Friday, July 10, 2026 · Semi-finals
Watch: ESPN · ESPN+
My pick: Alexander Zverev to advance · locked 2026-07-09 01:00 UTCPrediction
Zverev, clearly. Arthur Fery's fortnight has been the best story in tennis — a 114th-ranked wildcard into a Grand Slam semi-final, the first at Wimbledon in a quarter-century — and a home Centre Court crowd will make it loud. But Alexander Zverev is the world No. 3, a 25-title winner and the reigning Roland Garros champion, and he arrives having dismantled the sixth seed Fritz without dropping a set. The gulf in level, serve and best-of-five experience is large; Fery will need the crowd, a hot serving day and Zverev's occasional nerves to make it a contest. I expect Fery to be roared into a competitive set or two, and Zverev's class to tell over five.
The case for Alexander Zverev
83% to winZverev is the class of the draw: world No. 3, 25 titles, the reigning French Open champion, and a straight-sets winner over Fritz in the last eight. His serve is a first-strike weapon on grass, his best-of-five pedigree is deep, and he has every tool to blunt a lower-ranked opponent's momentum. On level, experience and firepower, he is a heavy favourite.
The case for Arthur Fery
17% to winFery has already done the impossible repeatedly — two five-set survivals and then a straight-sets demolition of a top-ten seed — and nothing about this fortnight suggests his nerve will crack now. On his home Centre Court, with nothing to lose and a game built on a big serve and fearless ball-striking, he only has to serve well and keep believing to trouble anyone for a set.
Both cases written 2026-07-09, before the first ball — frozen into the record exactly as written, whatever the result. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — and tennis has no draw to hide the rounding in.
Tale of the tape
Alexander ZverevArthur FeryPlayer vitals: ATP Tour player profiles and Wikipedia (career records) · as of 2026-07-09.
Career head-to-head: ATP head-to-head · as of 2026-07-09.
The briefing
Storylines
- Arthur Fery, the British wildcard ranked 114th, is the first wildcard to reach a Wimbledon men's singles semi-final in 25 years.
- Alexander Zverev, the second seed and reigning French Open champion, reaches his first Wimbledon semi-final by beating Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 6-2.
- The two have never met; the winner reaches the final against Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.
Head to head
First career meeting — the two have never played on tour.
Source: ATP head-to-head · as of 2026-07-09.
Injuries & withdrawals
| Both players | No injury or withdrawal concerns reported on either side — both came through their quarter-finals without a fitness issue. | ATP / ESPN semi-final coverage · 2026-07-09 |
Injury news drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: US coverage runs on ESPN and ESPN2, with the semi-finals a candidate for ABC; every court streams on ESPN+. The exact linear window follows the published order of play. (ESPN, as of 2026-07-09)
Court & schedule: The men's singles semi-finals are on Friday 10 July, on Centre Court. The running order and start times are set when the All England Club publishes the order of play the evening before. (All England Club order of play (Friday 10 July; running order not yet released), as of 2026-07-09)
Weather: Friday should stay warm and largely dry at SW19 in the wake of Thursday's heatwave peak — highs easing toward the low-30s°C (around 90°F), with a firmer read to come with the matchday order of play. (Met Office All England Club forecast, as of 2026-07-09)
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London — grass.
At this Stage
The fairy tale meets the favourite. Arthur Fery, the British wildcard ranked 114th, has authored the run of the fortnight — five-set escapes of Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov, then a stunning 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0 dismissal of the ninth seed Flavio Cobolli on Centre Court — to become the first wildcard in a Wimbledon men's singles semi-final in 25 years. Across the net is the second seed Alexander Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, into his first Wimbledon semi-final after turning over Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 6-2. The two have never met. A place in the final, against Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic, is the prize.
Quarter-finals
Final