Future Wimbledon Stars? Arthur Fery Invites Prince George and Princess Charlotte to Play Tennis

Arthur Fery has extended an open invitation to Prince George and Princess Charlotte to hit some tennis balls with him — an offer that came straight from a conversation with their parents, Prince William and Catherine (Kate Middleton), at the All England Club on Sunday, 12 July.

'I hear your children play tennis a lot... if you guys want to hit some balls anytime, that would be great,' the 24-year-old French-born player revealed he told Catherine, aware that the two children play tennis often.

The Royals were also aware it was Fery's birthday, and handed him a birthday card during the same exchange.

Catherine was appreciative of the offer but asked whether Fery would actually have the time to spare teaching her children. It's a fair question — one the rest of Fery's year may answer for her.

'I know the whole family are all tennis fans, so I told her if her kids ever wanted to hit, I'm free. It would be good to see them again... Let's see if I get the call up,' Fery said.

The exchange took place on quite a day for Fery. He became the first British wildcard to reach the semi-finals in Wimbledon history — a feat that drew the Prince and Princess of Wales to the men's singles final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, where Charlotte and George joined them.

Rising to the Top Could Be a Problem

Catherine's question about Fery's availability isn't idle. Fery is set to be confirmed as British No 1 and rise to 36 in the world rankings — a jump he admits he's still adjusting to.

'Even already a little bit during the tournament I was thinking of life after and how I was going to handle all that because we've seen it with people who've broken through in that manner before,' Fery admitted.

He is now one of three British men ranked inside the top 100, joining British No 2 Norrie and Jan Choinski, who recently moved into the top end of the rankings. Fery arrived at SW19 ranked outside the top 100, at what was then a career-best 114.

Looking ahead, Fery will turn his focus to the US Open and warm-up tournaments including Washington, and the ATP Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati — a schedule that leaves little room to say when, or if, he'll find time to make good on his offer.

Persistence Pays Off for Fery

That packed schedule — the same one standing between Fery and a free afternoon with George and Charlotte — is the product of a long climb.

Fery came up through the World Tennis Junior Tour, supported by official LTA international competitions at events such as the U14 Winter Cup, the Paul Hutchins Trophy, the U18 European Championships and junior Grand Slams. He also played for Stanford University in the NCAA, where he ranked No 1 nationally in singles before turning professional.

It was in 2025 that Fery made his mark on the main stage, picking up a first main-draw Wimbledon win against 20th seed Alexei Popyrin, followed shortly by his first ATP Challenger title in Barranquilla — still the biggest title of his career.

Fery began 2026 ranked world No 185, but a season of career firsts has driven a steady climb. He picked up his first Australian Open main-draw win in January, qualifying through and then knocking out 20th seed Flavio Cobolli. He then made his Masters 1000 debut at the Miami Open.

The momentum carried into the grass court season, with a semi-final run at the Lexus Birmingham Open and a first ATP 500 quarter-final at the HSBC Championships.

It all built to the pinnacle of his season at Wimbledon, where Fery — supported by the LTA's Pro Scholarship Programme presented by Lexus — was the last Brit standing in the singles competition. Whether that rise leaves room for the 'call up' he's hoping for from Kensington Palace remains to be seen.