LONDON -- Matteo Berrettini was awarded the Queen's Club title in London recently. It was then that it was pointed to him, the last man to win in his debut, went on to win Wimbledon just a few weeks later.Boris Becker was the one who won Wimbledon 1985's title as a 17 year-old. He went on to win it twice, in 1986 and 1989.Any player is honored to be compared with Becker at Wimbledon. Becker was a German grass-court player who won the hearts of many at the All England Club over a decade.It was also strange and fitting that Becker was one of the first people Berrettini met when he arrived in Wimbledon. Becker was always available to offer advice.Berrettini stated, "Ofcourse it feels nice to hear his name close to me." "It was the best thing that I had to meet him right away after I arrived. He was walking past. He stopped. He knew me and I was shocked. He made me feel great. He said, "Well done." We now have something in common."He also said to me that I needed to be clear in order to run a long race here. That's what I'll do.Boris Becker was 17 years old when he won Wimbledon in 1985. He had some words for the player, often compared to Italian Matteo Berrettini. NEIL HALL/EPA–EFE/ShutterstockIt is unclear if Becker's words were the inspiration. Berrettini certainly followed his lead, winning 6-4,6-3, 6-1 against Ilya Ivashka Monday to reach the quarterfinals.His big serve and large forehand have worked well. But his ability to play on grass shouldn't be surprising. He was defeated by Roger Federer in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2019 after he won his first grasscourt title at Stuttgart in 2012.Berrettini has been a semifinalist at the US Open two year ago and a quarterfinalist last month in Paris. His stock is steadily rising for quite some time now. He was seeded seventh at Wimbledon and the only time he lost a set was to Guido Pella during the first round.Berrettini was one of many young Italians who excelled in the male side. Berrettini likes to claim that he wasn't the best junior in any age bracket and that he was a late developer.Vincenzo Santopadre has been with Berrettini since he was 15 years old. This is another reason why the Italians have such great success. When things don't go according to plan, there is no need to rush to judge or change coaches.Berrettini is now one of the hunters. He is proud of the position and appreciates it.He said, "It's a privilege in some way, pressure and such things." "If someone said to me years ago, look, they are going to compare you to Becker. It would be great. It's great."I am confident that I will win when I enter the court. People around me expect me to win. I expect to win. It wasn't the same two years ago or three years ago when it was my turn, but I do know that it was different. Everything has changed.His success can be attributed to the service Berrettini has done. He is almost as powerful with his forehand, but it is what he does when he serves that has helped him reach this point.Berrettini is the player with the most aces (67), third in unreturned second serves and 10th on first serves won and second serves unreturned. Berrettini is also second in points won by second serve, which is always a good indicator of a player’s strength.Berrettini's good news is that he doesn't feel he has reached his peak yet this week.He said, "I don't think I played my best tennis against Ivashka." "I didn't play a bad game, I won straight sets with someone who was really good. This means that I played at a very high level. However, I know I can do better.Tennis Major Pick 'Em - Make your picks to compete for $1,000 Take Your PicksIt gives me confidence, because I know that I can win these types of matches, even if I'm not playing my best tennis. But, I also know I can play better. Positive things are what I see. Because I only played three sets, I am happy."This could also help him when he plays Canada’s Felix Auger–Aliassime. He won a five-setter on Monday against Alexander Zverev, and went through a four-hour-long match.With three more wins, the comparison with Becker might really begin to mean something.Berrettini stated, "I wish that I had everything in common with him," "I will try to get there."
