Fery’s Wimbledon success a target for Welsh teen Page

Welsh teenager Oliver Page wants to follow the lead of Arthur Fery after his Wimbledon journey came to an end in the boys’ quarter-finals.

The 18-year-old lost 6-3 6-1 to 11th seed Thijs Boogaard of the Netherlands.

But Page has been inspired by the performances of new British sensation Fery, who has become only the second wildcard entrant to reach the Wimbledon men’s semi-finals.

Page is now going to study in the USA at Wichita State University next month, following in the footsteps of Fery who is a Stanford graduate.

“It’s been proven that you can go from being in college to being a pro,” Page said after his defeat in SW19.

“It definitely gives me hope that once I’ve finished there I can be in Arthur Fery’s position in four, five, six years’ time.

“I know it’s going to be really tough, so I’ll continue to work hard and maybe one day it will happen.”

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‘It’s definitely given me confidence’

Before Wimbledon, Page had never played at a junior Grand Slam before but he made the most of his wildcard entry by being the last surviving British player before his defeat on Thursday.

“It’s definitely given me some confidence, especially on grass, for next year’s tournaments,” he said.

“My ranking will go to about 150 now [in the world], so it might be enough to get into the US Open, but we’ll see.

“It’s given me a lot of confidence and I know I have the level, so hopefully I can keep it now.

“Playing in Wimbledon is so special and to make it far as well, it feels amazing.

“I was excited to play here and especially now I’ve done well feels really good.

“First match I was a bit nervous to start but definitely getting through that match from 5-1 down in the third set was good, because then I got used to the crowd.

“Having the British support on my side is really good as well.”