Andy Murray rules out rising star’s Wimbledon hopes despite impressive Queen’s campaign

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Former world No 1 Andy Murray has claimed that Matteo Berrettini has little to no chance of claiming this year’s Wimbledon title despite the Italian hopeful’s strong run of form at Queen’s. The 25-year-old will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the final of the tournament on Sunday afternoon as he looks to clinch his fifth ATP title.

Berrettini, who is currently ranked at No 9, is the top seed at Queen’s and will fancy his chances of winning some silverware after seeing off a number of strong opponents on his way to the last two.

He defeated Stefano Travaglia in the first round of the competition before strolling to a straight-sets win over Murray and another comfortable victory against Dan Evans to reach the semi-finals.

The man from Rome then disposed of his next victim, Alex de Minaur, to set up an all-important meeting with Norrie.

Despite Berrettini’s winning exploits on the grass courts at Queen’s, Murray is not convinced that he will be able to challenge the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the big one at Wimbledon.

Speaking after his defeat on Thursday afternoon, the Scot told reporters that his opponent may still be lacking the star quality required to win Grand Slam titles and suggested that he could struggle with the pace of matches at the All England Club.

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“Can Matteo win Wimbledon? I don’t know if Berrettini can be a contender for the title,” said Murray.

“He has a great serve and we know how important he is on grass, but the Championships courts are slower than the Queen’s.

“It will depend on how he plays in response and I have the impression that he is still missing something to be able to win a Grand Slam.”

Berrettini has gained plenty of admirers over the course of the week at Queen’s, winning the support of the British crowds by producing some exceptional tennis and strolling to the final without dropping a single set.

However, he will face a tough task in beating Norrie to the trophy, with the latter enjoying his own spell of imperious form.

The South African-born contender booked his shot at glory with an impressive win over No 2 seed Denis Shapovalov on Saturday, and has warned Berrettini that he may be seeking out Murray for some pointers on how to pick apart the Italian’s game.

“I have watched him a little bit throughout the week,” said Norrie after his semi-final. “He is one of the best players on the tour at the moment.

“Huge serve, good forehand, likes the drop-shot. Maybe I will have a chat to Evo [Dan Evans] and Andy to see if they have any tips for me.”

Norrie also admitted that he was overjoyed to earn a place in the final and the opportunity to become the only British player other than Murray to win at Queen’s in the Open era.

“I am so pleased to be through to the final here, I can’t even describe it,” he added.

“It has not really sunk in yet. It is nice to get over the line there, and all credit to Denis, it was a tough match.

“It is a huge tournament for me and one of my biggest achievements so far, so I couldn’t be more pleased with myself. Let’s see if I can win one more tomorrow.”

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