For once, the tournament’s colossal winner’s trophy did not look disproportionately large in the hands of the champion, the towering Berrettini hoisting it over his head with the same apparent ease he has dispatched most of his opponents over the course of a week that bodes well for his tilt at Wimbledon. Few will relish the prospect of facing him in SW19, such is the range of an arsenal that includes not only a serve and forehand of irresistible power, but also a skidding sliced backhand, ideally suited to grass, and a delicate touch on the drop shot. Two of the Italian’s five titles have now come on grass.

Norrie, the only player to take a set off Berrettini all week, played with courage, conviction and no little intelligence, but was ultimately unable to withstand the top seed’s superior firepower as he slipped to a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 defeat. 

“It’s been an unbelievable week and if I think of [Boris Becker’s] name and my name, it’s crazy,” said Berrettini, the first Italian to win the title at Queen’s Club. “I was dreaming about playing this tournament I was watching when I was a kid and now I had a chance to lift the trophy, so it’s a dream coming true.”

There was a word too for Norrie, who was now drawn a blank in three finals this year after losing in Lyon and Estoril in the prelude to the French Open. “Cam is a great player,” said Berrettini. “This year he has shown how he can play on all the surfaces. He made finals, he’s playing great tennis and I’m sure he’s going to lift a title soon. I’m sure this guy’s going to lift a lot of trophies and he’s going to have a great career.”

Norrie said afterwards that Berrettini had simply played the big points better, and that felt about right. While Norrie fell short in his attempt to become only the second British player to win the event since the second world war, after Andy Murray, he can take heart from an excellent week’s work that will elevate him to 34th in the world rankings. With Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic absent, that should be enough to earn him a seeding at Wimbledon in a week’s time.

“I’ve really enjoyed my tennis here and if you had told me before the tournament, I would have signed for the finals,” said Norrie. “It was a great week.” 

Berrettini’s ability to pump down serves at speeds in excess of 140mph meant Norrie’s hopes hinged first and foremost on protecting his own delivery. The concern for the Briton was that he has a tendency to lose rhythm on his ball toss, which can lead to double faults. He produced two in the fifth game, yielding an early break. With Berrettini landing 74% of his first serves, that was enough to determine the outcome of the opening set.

Yet it is not by fluke that Norrie has won 29 matches on the ATP Tour this season, and his response to the setback was admirable. Favouring depth and accuracy over power, the southpaw focused on finding the court with his first delivery and backing it up with smart shot selection and energetic court coverage. It was enough to gain a firmer foothold and, although he was forced to save two break points in the ninth game of the second set, he kept his nose in front to force a tiebreak.

Now Norrie was bouncing, hustling, scrambling back Berrettini’s first serve where he could and finding greater depth and penetration with his returns whenever he got a look at a second delivery. His approach reaped dividends. The Italian sent a forehand long behind his second serve to hand Norrie an early mini-break, and Norrie protected the advantage with some adroit serving, swinging the ball wide to the Berrettini backhand and working his way intelligently into the forecourt behind his groundstrokes. Serving at 3-6 down, Berrettini saved the first of three set points with a swingeing forehand and the second with an ace. On the third, however, Norrie took full advantage of a floated backhand slice, pounding a forehand beyond the Italian to claim the set with a gleeful roar.

Having conceded his first set of the week, Berrettini knew he was in a match. Norrie flirted with danger when he opened the fourth game with a double fault, but exploited some errant play from the Italian to recover, sealing the game with an ace. Further escapology was required when the Italian carved out two break points in the sixth game. Again Norrie was equal to the task, varying his service placement and forcing his way to the net to draw errors from his opponent.

Norrie was living dangerously, however, and in the eighth game Berrettini’s sustained assault finally told. Serving at 40-0, Norrie mishit two forehands and produced another costly double fault. A forehand pass exploded off Berrettini’s racket to bring up a break point, and when Norrie rolled a backhand into the net to concede the game, the Italian emitted the triumphant cry of a man who knew that he need only secure his 46th consecutive service game of the tournament to clinch the title. A 19th ace brought up three match points, and the title was his. 

Elsewhere, Ugo Humbert  beat world No 7 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in Halle to win his first ATP 500 title. It was the 31st-ranked Frenchman’s third career win following his victories at 250 events in Antwerp and Auckland last year.

“It is incredible. It is the best victory of my career,” Humbert said. “I am very proud because it wasn’t easy. I was a little bit tired, but I tried to stay focused on each point, and did what I could, so it is very nice.

“I tried to stay aggressive and take the ball early because in the baseline rallies it was tough, because Andrey was hitting the ball very hard. Physically, it was tough, and I tried to take my chances when I could, and I won.”

Ons Jabeur became the first Arab woman to win a WTA Tour title after beating Daria Kasatkina of Russia 7-5, 6-4 to win the Birmingham Classic. It was the first title of the 24th-ranked Tunisian’s career.

“I knew I had to go for it, I had to win this title to at least breathe, and give an example,” said Jabeur after her 28th win of the season. “There’s not a lot of Tunisian or Arabic players playing, so I hope this could inspire them, and I want to see more Arabic [players] and Tunisians playing with me on tour.”

There was another maiden title winner in Berlin, where world No 106 Liudmila Samsonova rounded off an extraordinary week with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 over fifth seed Belinda Bencic. The Russian qualifier, 22, learned after the match that she had been granted the final main draw wild card for Wimbledon.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Samsonova. “I didn’t expect it. I [did] dream it, but it’s amazing.”

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Norrie, who will face Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s final after the Italian won 6-4, 6-4 against Alex de Minaur of Australia, becomes the first British player to reach the championship round since Andy Murray won the title five years ago. Take Murray out of the equation and you have to go back almost two decades to find the last British player to make the final, to when Tim Henman was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt for the second year in a row in 2002.

The 41st-ranked Norrie, one of the most improved players on the men’s tour, has already reached clay-court finals in Lyon and Estoril this year. The only other final appearance of his career was on a hard court in Auckland, where he grew up, two years ago. He has yet to win a title.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Norrie, who beat the British teenager Jack Draper in the last eight. “I think I played very, very good today, I was extremely clutch on some big points, and I’m so pleased to be through to the final here. I can’t even describe it, it’s nice to get over the line. 

“It’s a huge tournament for me and one of my biggest achievements so far. I couldn’t be more pleased with myself.”

Norrie’s afternoon began inauspiciously when he conceded his opening service game with two unforced errors and a pair of double faults. He was denied a break point in the fourth game when a Shapovalov groundstroke skidded off the service line, but a flurry of unforced errors from the Canadian helped Norrie to a love break in the sixth game, and from there the Briton grew in confidence. 

A Shapovalov double fault brought up a set point for Norrie at 6-5. He seized the opportunity with a running backhand pass that wrong-footed the world No 14, sending him tumbling to the grass. An almost identical passage of play earned Norrie the decisive break at 4-3 in the second set, Shapovalov picking up a low half-volley only to slip as Norrie raced on to a backhand.

Norrie will be the third British player Berrettini has faced this week. The ninth-ranked Italian beat Andy Murray in the last 16 and Dan Evans in the quarter-finals, and has yet to drop a set. Berrettini pushed Novak Djokovic to a fourth set in the French Open quarter-finals last week, and his best moments have come predominantly on clay. Yet he won the Stuttgart title on grass two years ago and his 140mph serves and howitzer of a forehand pose an obvious threat on the surface. Norrie suggested he would consult Murray and Evans for advice on how to play the 6ft 5in Roman. 

“I have watched him a little bit throughout the week,” said Norrie, whose efforts will now propel him to at least 34th in the rankings, enough to earn a seeded position at Wimbledon. “He’s got a huge serve, he’s one of the best players on the tour at the moment, good forehand as well and likes the drop-shot. So maybe I’ll have a chat to Evo and Andy to see if they have any tips for me.”

Berrettini had all the answers against De Minaur, who delved deeply into his box of technical and tactical tricks but could make scant impression against the top seed. A break of serve in the third game proved decisive for Berrettini in the opening set, and though De Minaur fought well to stave off break points in the fifth game of the second set, the Italian broke again in the ninth game before serving out. He becomes the first Queen’s Club debutant to reach the final since Boris Becker in 1985, and the first Italian to make the title round since Laurence Tieleman in 1998.

Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev will contest the first grass-court final of his career at the Halle Open after beating qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The world No 7 will face Ugo Humbert on Sunday after the Frenchman defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, conqueror of Roger Federer earlier in the week, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).

On a busy day in Birmingham, where a Friday washout meant two rounds had to be played in one day, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur overcame Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-0 in the quarter-finals before winning her semi-final against Heather Watson 6-3, 6-3. Watson had earlier beaten Donna Vekic, the third seed, to become only the third British player to make the last four at the event.

Jabeur will face Daria Kasatkina in the final after the 35th-ranked Russian saw off qualifier Tereza Martincova 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 in the last eight and CoCo Vandeweghe, the former world No 9, in the semi-finals, 6-2, 6-4.

In Berlin, Liudmila Samsonova continues to make waves after beating Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-2. The 106th-ranked Russian qualifier will face Belinda Bencic in the final after the Swiss fifth seed saw off Alizé Cornet of France 7-5, 6-4. “I’m sure it’s going to be a tough match because she plays very good on this surface, and she’s a good player, said Samsonova, 22, ahead of her first career final.

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Nadal, who unlike Osaka will also miss the Tokyo Olympics, cited the rapid turnaround between the French Open and the Championships as a key factor in his decision. 

Neither decision comes as a surprise. Nadal intimated that he might rethink his schedule following his gruelling semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in Paris, while Osaka announced her intention to “take some time away from the court” after withdrawing from the French Open over the furore caused by her media boycott. 

Roland Garros was postponed by a week this year to allow for the easing of Covid restrictions in France, leaving only a fortnight between the two slams. The transition from clay to grass places unique demands on the body and Nadal, who suffered from tendinitis in his knees earlier in his career, stressed in a statement released on social media that “prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career”.

“It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” said Nadal, 35, a two-time winner at the All England Club.

“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition.

“The fact that there has only been two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay court season. They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid- and long-term.”

Nadal had cast doubt on his Wimbledon prospects after losing in Paris, saying he would wait until he had greater physical and mental “clarity’ before making a decision. Like Roger Federer, who pulled out of the French Open following an arduous late-night struggle against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, pragmatism is the watchword for the Spaniard as he enters the twilight years of his career. Just as Federer withdrew from a tournament he felt he had no chance of winning to concentrate on Wimbledon, where he will be seeking a ninth title, so Nadal will feel he has a greater chance of adding to his tally of 20 majors at the US Open, where he has twice been champion in the past four years.

Unlike Nadal, who has won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles, Osaka will at least compete in Tokyo. Her participation at Wimbledon has been in doubt ever since she withdrew from the French Open to protect her mental health amid the bitter fallout from her refusal to fulfil media duties. The world No 2, whose stance triggered a warning from the four grand slam tournaments that she risked suspension from future majors, said she planned to take some time away from the sport, and subsequently pulled out of a grass-court event in Berlin.

Osaka’s intentions were confirmed in a statement released by her management company: “Naomi won’t be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking some personal time with friends and family. She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans.”

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Federer, a 10-time champion at the grass court event in Germany, lacked his customary fluency on serve and fell away dramatically in the final set as his focus and commitment waned against the 21st-ranked Canadian.

“It was not a good attitude from my side,” said Federer, 34. “I was disappointed in the way I was feeling on court, the way things were going … the whole difficulty of the comeback got to me as well a little bit, how much I have to push on every point, try to make things happen. I realised it was not going to be my day. There was nothing I could do, I started to get really negative, and this is not normally how I am.

“It’s a huge challenge for me. Everybody who’s been in multiple surgeries, or a tough surgery, knows what I’m talking about. Things don’t come simple, they don’t come easy. You second-guess yourself rather quickly unfortunately, and that’s sometimes the biggest worry: the worry of pain, or the worry of how you’re going to feel the next day, or when you wake up, the first steps, how did they feel? All this stuff, it takes a little bit of a toll on you sometimes.”

Federer was forced to fend off two early break points and, having broken in the seventh game with a pair of sumptuous passing shots, he again found himself 15-40 down as he served for the opening set. The Swiss recovered on both occasions, but showed further signs of vulnerability early in the second set. He was finally broken in the sixth game as Auger-Aliassime, 20, produced some explosive returns against his boyhood idol. The Canadian made another breakthrough at the beginning of the final set, and from that point Federer cut a frustrated figure as his game and concentration unravelled.

“I guess when I got down a break I got disappointed in myself that I was allowing the points to be played the way they were being played,” said Federer, who will be bidding for his ninth Wimbledon title when the tournament gets underway a week and a half from now.

“At the end things changed quickly. But it had a lot to do, I believe, with where I was at. I just think the consistency, of point for point, has not been easy for me in the comeback, and I knew that’s what it’s going to take. You’ve got to be very focused, committed and sharp, and I was not that any more in the third set.”

Federer’s exit follows the defeat of top seed Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday. The Russian lost 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.

The British charge continued at Queen’s Club, where Cameron Norrie defeated fifth seed Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final against his teenage compatriot Jack Draper, who won 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-0) against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Draper, 19, who claimed the scalp of third seed Jannik Sinner in the previous round, becomes the youngest player to reach the last eight at an ATP event since Andy Murray in 2006. 

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It was a small but significant step for the former Wimbledon champion, and it clearly meant the world to him. Murray, who has suffered repeated setbacks and niggles since having his hip resurfaced two and a half years ago, said afterwards that he has learned to treat every match as though it might be his last.

“I’m always sort of telling myself, and maybe it’s not the best mindset, but each match could be my last one that I play now,” said Murray. “I want to make the most of every match that I play and each tournament that I get the chance to compete in.” 

His enduring passion for the sport was similarly evident when he was earlier asked at courtside how it felt to be competing again. “I love it, I love playing tennis,” said Murray, briefly overwhelmed with emotion.

There was a nervous moment for Murray in the third game when his right leg gave way as he attempted to set off in pursuit of a Paire backhand. The Scot clambered gingerly to his feet along the baseline, but any fears that he may have further aggravated his groin were quickly allayed. Murray broke to love in the next game, scrambling to play a vintage running forehand pass, and stayed solid on serve to see out the set.

The 46th-ranked Paire, an unorthodox and often volatile character with a fine backhand and excellent touch, is capable of brilliance. But the Frenchman has struggled to cope with a life of empty stadiums and bio-secure bubbles, and has barely won a match all year. He was thus the perfect opponent for Murray, who broke in the fifth game of the second set and had only to keep the ball in play from there, as Paire became increasingly disinterested. Murray will now face a sterner test in the shape of Matteo Berrettini, the top seed and world No 9. 

“Berrettini is obviously a top player, top seed here, and had a very strong French Open,” said Murray. “I need to play one level up from today if I want to do well.”

There was more good news for Britain as Dan Evans made an assured start to the grass-court season with a 6-4, 6-4 win over world No 67 Alexei Popyrin. “It was great to be back,” said the 25th-ranked Evans, seeded sixth.

“It was a great atmosphere. Good to be back after so long on the grass in front of a very nice crowd. We’re not full, but we’re getting there.”

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