Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and a host of stars join Arthur Fery's multi-millionaire parents to cheer him on in historic Wimbledon semi-final

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and WILL PICKWORTH, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 13:46, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 16:10, 10 July 2026 A host of stars including Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley joined British tennis player Arthur Fery's proud multi-millionaire parents to cheer him on at Wimbledon's Centre Court this afternoon. Fery faced German Alexander Zverev in a historic semi-final match at SW19 after beating ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets on Wednesday.  The 23-year-old is only the second wildcard player in history to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club. As he stepped out to face the second seed Zverev on Friday, parents Olivia, 53, and Loïc, 52, who are divorced, were both ardent supporters. His mother sat separately from his father, who was accompanied by his partner Diana Kyllmann, 35, a Bolivian former tennis player turned investment banker. The Brit has already secured a minimum prize pot of £900,000 just by making the semi-final – although his affluent upbringing means this has never been an issue for the family. Should underdog Fery pull off victory in front of the packed crowd this afternoon, he will progress to the final on Sunday and guarantee himself at least the runner's up prize of £1.8million.  The crowd was studded with stars despite the baking heat, with attendees including Prince Michael of Kent, Martin Freeman, Richard E Grant and Anna Wintour.  Loïc Fery supports son Arthur at his semi-final match, accompanied by his partner Diana Kyllmann, 35, and his own father Denis Actor Benedict Cumberbatch stands and applauds Britain's Arthur Fery at Centre Court this afternoon Keira Knightley (centre) is joined by the likes of Richard E Grant and Luke Thompson as she cheers on Arthur Fery at SW19  Arthur Fery's mother Olivia sits in the stands as she cheers on her son during his semi-final tie against Alexander Zverev Arthur Fery walks out on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Friday afternoon Sandi Toksvig, Baz Luhrmann, Anna Wintour and Damian Lewis were all in the royal box on Friday for Fery's semi-final tie Actor Dustin Hoffman attends on day 12 of Wimbledon at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Thousands also crammed onto Henman Hill outside the court, which has been affectionately renamed 'Arthur's Seat' due to his meteoric rise through the competition. He had attained just two tour-level wins to his name prior to this year's grass season and was virtually unheard of outside of the most keen tennis circles.  Fery delivered a strong performance in the opening set but ultimately lost the tie-break 7-0.  The youngster comes from a sporting dynasty and has been nicknamed 'Cross Channel Fery' after being born in France but spending the majority of his life in the UK.  His mother, Olivia, is a former professional tennis player, while his wealthy hedge fund manager father, Loïc, once bought a French top-flight football club.  His parents had three children together before they divorced in 2022.  Bogota-born Diana was a national junior champion in her homeland before playing college tennis in the US for prestigious Indiana University. She is now an executive director at Goldman Sachs' global banking and markets division and co-owns the padel company 10Padel with Loïc. Away from work, she remains a keen player and has captained the women's first team at London's exclusive Queen's Club for the past three years. Fery's mother, Olivia, who competed under her maiden name Gravereaux, qualified for the French Open as a wildcard in 1991 – a feat mirrored by her son's wildcard run at Wimbledon 35 years later. Her top world ranking was 225, while her son last week reached a new peak of 114 – and will hurtle into the top 100 for the first time following his All England Club successes.  Fery was born in Paris but grew up in London, attending the £11,940-per-term King's College School in Wimbledon while living just a mile away from the tennis grounds. Fery's mother is a member of the All England Club and the pair often played together on its courts during his childhood. But he told reporters he was never 'pushed' into playing tennis, instead taking up the sport of his own volition.  Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman react as they attend the men's semi-final between Fery and Zverev on Friday Knightley, Grant and Felicity Jones all cheer on Britain's Arthur Fery Cumberbatch was joined by Martin Freeman and Sophie Hunter, as well as a whole host of stars Prince Michael of Kent was among those watching on in Wimbledon's royal box as Fery took on the second seed on Friday Former professional tennis player Sue Barker is spotted arriving at Wimbledon Ella Eyre is seen in the crowd at the All England Club on Friday Britain's Arthur Fery walks ahead of Germany's Alexander Zverev as they arrive for their men's singles semi-final tennis match at Wimbledon Olivia Fery, mother of Arthur Fery, chats to friends as she watches her son's semi-final Fery was supported by his (pictured left to right) grandfather, father and father's partner, while his mother sat elsewhere in the crowd Arthur Fery's father Loïc reacts as his son walks onto Centre Court this afternoon Crowds on Henman Hill – now nicknamed Arthur's Seat – watch as Arthur Fery takes to Centre Court Fery reached the semi-finals of the boys' doubles at Wimbledon in 2019 – before making the third round of the main competition's mixed doubles, alongside Tara Moore, two years later. He then went on to win a tennis scholarship for a science, technology and society degree at the prestigious Stanford University in California. This year has taken him to new levels, initially with getting through to the second round of the Australian Open in January. He was granted a wildcard entry to this summer's Wimbledon, despite not qualifying through the official routes. His performances since have meant he is only the second wildcard entry to reach as far as the semi-finals. The only wildcard entry to go on to win a Wimbledon title is Goran Ivanisevic, in 2001. His run at the All England Club has led to some in the French media claiming the 23-year-old as their 'last remaining hope' given his dual nationality and family ties to France. However, when pressed on which country he feels closer to after his quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli, Fery was clear in his response. 'In regards to the French, I mean honestly less and less these days,' he told reporters. 'I've now lived here a long time, ten years ago I may have said I felt more French than English but now it's not the case at all. 'I feel very British, I live here, all my best friends live here, I went to school here, I train here. 'My parents are still French so we speak French with my family and cousins who still live in France. But no, my roots are very much tied to London now.' Your browser does not support iframes.