Arthur Fery‘s run to the Wimbledon semifinal has been a dream as a British wildcard, but not without critics calling him out on his dual nationality. Fery has ties with both France and the UK, something which he spoke about during his post-match press conference after his win in the previous round. And that’s what enraged some tennis fans.

“And in regard to the French, I mean, honestly, less and less these days”, said Fery in his post-match press conference. “I’ve now lived here a long time. Maybe 10 years ago, you would have asked me that question. I probably would have said I felt maybe more French than English. But now it’s not the case at all, I feel very British.”

Fery has French roots by birth, as he was born in France to parents of French nationality. His mother was a former French tennis player, and his father owned a French football club.

However, the family moved to the UK when Fery was just a child, and his upbringing and introduction to tennis were entirely in London, with his home just 10 minutes from SW19. He represents Great Britain in his tennis career, and has even represented the nation by being part of a Davis Cup team. However, the Brit remains the point of contention among fans who have debated his identity as a British player.

This is not the first instance of a tennis player holding dual citizenship. Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Naomi Osaka are among many players who hold dual citizenship.

However, critics on X did not hesitate to let their emotions be known after Fery’s comments

Arthur Fery Faces Backlash Due to Comments on Dual Nationality

Fans were not having Fery’s version of his national identity, with one fan on X taking a jibe at the British tennis player by comparing him to French soccer star Michael Olisé, who is a British national by birth but plays for France. “We have Olisé, you can keep the little rich kid playing with his racket”, said the fan.

Another fan was even blunter, saying, “100% French – who is he kidding?”  Another fan also didn’t mince his words and said, “He’s just saying he’s British because it’s much better for PR.”

Home players at Grand Slams always get great support from the fans, but none more so at the French Open, where the home crowd has long been in search of a player who could be a contender for the title. A fan pointed this out and wrote, “Wait till he gets to the SF of Roland Garros.”

On the other hand, another fan agreed with Fery’s verdict that he was British but believed the tennis player used his French identity while traveling across the continent. “Probably uses his French passport when traveling around Europe, though,” said the fan.

No matter what the fans say, when Fery enters the Center Court to face Alexander Zverev on Friday for his maiden Major semifinal, the partisan crowd will be cheering for him on court, along with the thousands who will gather in the outside grounds at SW19.