Alexander Zverev accepts '99%' of Wimbledon crowd will be behind Arthur Fery

After failing to progress beyond the fourth round in his first nine appearances at the All England Club, Zverev reached his maiden Wimbledon semi-final following a commanding victory over Taylor Fritz.

Having lost seven straight matches to the American - including in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year - the World No 3 finally turned the tables with an emphatic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 triumph.

Zverev is brimming with confidence after lifting the French Open title, but he faces a very different challenge in the last four against home favourite Fery.

The 23-year-old has been one of the stories of this year's Championships. Handed a wildcard into the main draw, Fery has become only the fifth British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals after a stunning 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 victory over Flavio Cobolli.

Asked about playing home favourite Fery on Centre Court on Friday, Zverev said: "The first time I watched him play was actually in Australia. He beat Cobolli in the first round. I watched that match. I was very impressed back then already. He has a very clean technique and very clean groundstrokes. I thought he was a very good tennis player already back then.

"Of course, it's maybe a surprise a little bit that he's in the semi-finals. But I think he deserves it. The wins that he had, the way he fought back in a couple of those matches, is great to see. It's a great story.

"I'm very happy to play him in the semi-finals. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere. Of course, I know that 99% of the people will be cheering for him. But I also enjoy those kind of atmospheres. I enjoy it when the energy is very high.

"For me, British crowds, the crowd here at Wimbledon, is always quite fair. They cheer loud, energetic, but they're still fair. I look forward to that challenge."

Zverev does have experience of facing a British player on Centre Court as he beat Cameron Norrie in straight sets in the third round in 2024.

"I'm almost 30 years old. I've been on tour for long enough. I feel like I've seen the most hostile crowds, I've seen tough crowds, I've seen unfair crowds as well. I feel like I should know how to handle it, I've learned how to handle it. I'm okay with it," he said.

"Again, I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they're always quite fair. Yes, they can be loud, they can be cheerful, but that's okay. I don't mind it at all.

"So yeah, I just look forward to a tough challenge in the semi-finals of a Slam."

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