Arthur Fery, a 23-year-old British wildcard, defeated Belgium's world No. 37 Zizou Bergs in a nearly five-hour, five-set match at Wimbledon on July 4, 2026, to reach the tournament's fourth round [1, 2, 3, 4]. The match, played on Court 18, lasted four hours and 38 minutes, marking the longest contest so far at this year's championships [2, 4].
Fery triumphed with the scoreline 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(7-3), 7-6(10-5 or 7-5 depending on source), showing resilience by winning two tiebreak sets after losing the first and third sets [1, 2, 3, 4]. During the grueling encounter, he suffered and was treated for three nosebleeds but persevered through the physical challenge [1, 3].
This win marked Fery's first career victory in a five-set match [3]. Born in France to French parents, he grew up near the All England Club, adding a local angle to his Wimbledon success [3]. Fery is currently ranked outside the top 100 but is expected to break into the top 100 following his run at the tournament [1, 2, 4].
Fery became the first British wildcard to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since Andrew Foster in 1993, a feat last accomplished 33 years ago [1, 2, 3, 4]. He was also the only British singles player to advance to the third round this year, with 15 of the 19 British singles starters losing in the first round [2, 4].
After the match, Fery said, "No words for it, honestly. I don't know what is going on right now. It will take time to digest it" [1]. He added, "It’s unreal. Four hours 40 with that support, it’s unbelievable. I requested to play on this court because it’s awesome. I had a great time on it in the second round and this trumps it but I got so much support" [3].
Fery will face either Italy's Matteo Berrettini or Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the Wimbledon fourth round [1].
