The British tennis star told the Princess of Wales: “If you guys want to hit some balls anytime, that would be great.”
The British star, who turned 24 on Sunday, enjoyed a remarkable fortnight at the All England Club, becoming the first British wildcard in Wimbledon history to reach the men’s singles semi-finals.
His stunning run saw him become the new British No. 1, rising to world No. 36, and taking home £900,000 in prize money.
Before the men’s final between World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, Fery met Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the players’ lawn, where he personally invited the young royals to play tennis with him.
Speaking to the Princess of Wales, he said: “I hear your children play tennis a lot…if you guys want to hit some balls anytime, that would be great.”
The Princess, who also handed Fery a birthday card from the Wales family, replied: “Thank you, do you get some downtime now?”
She also praised his performances during the Championships, telling him he had done a “fantastic” job to reach the semi-finals and describing his run as “very impressive.”
Speaking to the family before the final, Fery said: “Thanks a lot, I’m so pleased, it was a great two weeks. II’m so glad that I got to spend so much time here and thank you for coming.”
Centre Court debut
The Princess had watched Fery’s second-round victory over Finland’s Otto Virtanen on Court 18 earlier in the tournament. She said she had “loved” watching him play.
Fery told her that making his Centre Court debut later in the tournament had been “really special.”
He added: “I was a little nervous, definitely, but once I was out there I was fine.”
After meeting the royal family, Fery revealed he hoped George and Charlotte might take him up on his offer.
“It was good to see her here and good to meet her finally.
“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.”
Asked later whether he thought the Princess might accept his invitation, Fery added: “Let’s see, I don’t know. Let’s see if I get the call up.”
Prince William congratulated the British player on his historic achievement and wished him a happy birthday, saying, “What a tournament…you’re the first British wildcard to reach the semifinals.”
He also encouraged Fery by adding that it was “only up from here.”
Fery later said he was looking forward to taking a holiday before returning to competition, using the break to enjoy some downtime and “processing” everything he had achieved over the past two weeks.
Shortly afterwards, the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, took their seats in the front row of the Royal Box, receiving a lengthy standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd as they arrived.
The family waved to spectators before settling in to watch defending champion Jannik Sinner take on Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final.
Among those joining them in the Royal Box were Lord Frederick Windsor, Dame Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman, Dustin Hoffman, Sienna Miller, Raye and former world No. 1 Stan Smith.
After Sinner secured his second consecutive Wimbledon title, the Princess of Wales, patron of the All England Club, presented him with the championship trophy.
The appearance marked Catherine’s third visit to Wimbledon during this year’s Championships. She also attended the Ladies’ Singles Final on Saturday, where she presented the Venus Rosewater Dish to Czech champion Linda Nosková.
The Wales family, who attended Wimbledon last year without Prince Louis, are well known for their love of tennis. Ahead of last year’s men’s final, Prince George admitted he was “all right” at the sport during a conversation with doubles champion Julian Cash.
