Casper Ruud booked his place in the semi-finals of the US Open with a 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4) defeat of Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.

Ruud was at the top of his game in the opening two sets, taking the first inside half an hour, but Berrettini made a contest of the third.

Indeed, the Italian at one stage had two set points, having taken a 5-2 advantage.

Yet Ruud, who did not require a single ace in this match, clawed both back to hold his serve and immediately broke to swing the momentum in his favour once more.

Berrettini had failed to execute two routine drop-shots as he conceded serve and never regained his composure, with Ruud forcing the tie-break.

It was then that the world number seven got back on top form, racing into a 3-0 lead and, despite a wobble that saw two match points fall by the wayside, holding his nerve to seal the win at the third attempt.

Into his first US Open semi-final – and his second at a grand slam following a run to the final at Roland Garros this year – Ruud, who along with Carlos Alcaraz has a chance of becoming the new world number one, will face either Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov in the last four.

Data Slam: Berrettini's top-10 hoodoo

Berrettini was aiming to reach his fourth grand slam semi-final and a second at Flushing Meadows, yet his record against top-10 opponents is a poor one, and it did not change for the better in New York.

He is now 7-19 for his career against opponents ranked inside the top 10 by the ATP, while he has lost his last 11 such matches since defeating Dominic Thiem – then ranked number three – at the 2021 ATP Cup. Berrettini has never defeated a top-10 opponent in a grand slam (0-8).

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Ruud – 0/2
Berrettini – 13/3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Ruud – 20/23
Berrettini – 35/39

BREAK POINTS WON

Ruud – 5/14
Berrettini – 2/9

Matteo Berrettini outlined his desire to see Roger Federer return to the court as he compared the 20-time grand slam champion to retiring legend Serena Williams.

Federer has not played competitively since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, and has since undergone his third knee surgery in two years.

But the 41-year-old is hopeful of returning to the court for this month's Laver Cup, where he is set to team up with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for Team Europe.

Federer recently shared an encouraging video of a practice session on social media after stepping up his rehabilitation. 

With tennis set to lose one legend after Williams' final US Open campaign was ended by Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the return of Federer would represent a major boost for the sport.

Speaking after beating Murray in the third round at Flushing Meadows, Berrettini said: "I think I said it so many times. Probably it's never going to be enough. One of the reasons why I'm here now is Roger. 

"He was my idol when I was growing up. I was cheering for him, so I want him back really badly.

"He's just like Serena, I guess, one of a kind, you know?

"I wish him a really speedy recovery in whatever he's doing to come back. I wish I could play one more time against him."

Berrettini has lost each of his two tour-level matches against Federer, including a straight-sets defeat at Wimbledon in 2019.

Andy Murray has admitted he is "surprised" to still be able to compete against top-level opponents given his injury history.

The 2012 US Open champion exited this year's competition following a third-round defeat to 13th seed Matteo Berrettini, though he did take the tie to four sets.

Having lost the first two sets, Murray fought back to win the tiebreaker in the third but his valiant attempts were ended by the Italian in the fourth, who sets up a round of 16 clash against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Despite the loss, Murray was pleased with his performance at the tournament and encouraged by his ability to still go toe-to-toe with the likes of Berrettini.

"I've got a metal hip. It's not easy playing with that. It's really difficult. I'm surprised I'm still able to compete with guys that are right up at the top of the game," he said after the match.

"Matches like this, you know, I'm really proud that I have worked myself into a position where I'm able to do that. I'm really disappointed that I didn't get over the line today. 

"But I get reminded like 'this is the first time you've made the third round here since 2016'. It's been six years. It's been a difficult six years for me. It's been really hard.

"Although it's the first time I've only made the third round here, I'm really proud of that effort that I put in to get myself back into these positions. So, I'm hoping that in the future I can go further, but considering, I did all right."

Murray went on to explain how things feel differently for him on the court, identifying he cannot move in the same way Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic still can.

"A lot of the things feel the same, but obviously I'm just not quite capable of the sort of movement and physicality that I was five, six years ago. I mean, that's pretty obvious. You know, I shouldn't expect to be," he said.

"I think if you watch Rafa and Novak moving around the court now who are similar age, I think they're moving pretty similar to how they were five, six years ago, whereas for me there's obviously been a bit of a drop-off there.

"That can affect you in terms of how you have to play the points. Maybe you just don't track as many balls down as before. Maybe the reach isn't just quite as much as it was.

"But in terms of the shots and everything, there is nothing that is stopping me from hitting the same shots as I did before."

Andy Murray is a "legend" of the sport who Matteo Berrettini knows he must play his best tennis against in the US Open third round.

Berrettini had to come from behind to beat Hugo Grenier on Wednesday at Flushing Meadows, setting up a fourth career meeting with Murray.

Like Berrettini, former world number one Murray came from a set down to defeat Emilio Nava 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-0.

Berrettini holds a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head series with Murray, who won the first match between the pair in Beijing in 2019.

Murray lost to Berrettini as the Italian went on to win at Queen's Club in 2021, with the Scot going down to the 26-year-old again in the final in Stuttgart earlier this year.

"We played in different conditions. We played 2019 in Beijing, so was hard, but best-of-three. Then twice on grass. All the matches were great fights," Berrettini said in a press conference.

"I think obviously Andy now is in way better shape than he used to be, especially last year. He's a legend of the sport. I think it's going to be a great match, a tough match for me, but feeling confident. I always like to play here, especially in big stages, big matches like the one I'm about to play. Yeah, I think it's going to be a tough one, but I'm ready."

Berrettini also revealed he and Murray have practiced together, though he does not think that will help much in Friday's tie.

He said: "We're friends, but we're not like best friends. A good relationship.

"He had a crazy hip surgery. Everybody saw it. It's not easy to come back, especially when he was number one in the world. Mentally it must have been, like, really tough for him. But I think it's inspiring the will that he has, the love that he has for this sport. I always admired that.

"We often practice together, as well. When I was a kid I was watching him on TV, for me it's still a dream coming true playing against this kind of player.

"I remember 2016 he played against Paolo Lorenzi here. My brother, he played quallies here, the juniors. I was like, Wow, you're playing next to Andy, and now I'm playing against him. It's something that I really appreciate. That's why I'm even happier for the match now I'm going to play.

"But it doesn't matter. When you play Andy Murray, you're playing Andy Murray. You have to play your best tennis."

Former world number 17 Cristian Garin was beaten 6-4 7-5 by Federico Coria in the first round of the Austrian Open in Kitzbuhel, while Matteo Berrettini and defending champion Casper Ruud withdrew from the tournament.

2017 runner-up Joao Sousa cruised past Vit Kopriva 6-1 7-5 and Jurij Rodionov set up a Round of 16 meeting with third seed Roberto Bautista Agut with a straight-sets victory over Hernan Casanova.

Dominic Thiem, who won the 2019 edition of the competition, will face Alexander Shevchenko tomorrow while Richard Gasquet will take on Sebastian Ofner.

2016 Croatia Open winner Fabio Fognini will not be regaining his title in Umag this year, after the seventh seed was knocked out by Colombian Daniel Galan in a 3-6 7-5 3-6 defeat.

Galan will play Giulio Zeppieri in the next round, who came from one set down to overcome world number 90 Pedro Cachin 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Fifth seed Alex Molcan plays his first game tomorrow against Duje Adjukovic, and sixth seed Daniel Altmaier will take on French 23-year-old Corentin Moutet.

Casper Ruud mounted an impressive comeback to defend his Swiss Open crown, after seeing off Matteo Berrettini in a three-set thriller in Gstaad.

The Norwegian, the beaten finalist at this year's French Open, made it successive triumphs at Roy Emerson Arena, after overcoming a first-set deficit to win 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.

It takes clay specialist Ruud to an eighth overall title on the surface and a third of the year, following victories at the Argentina Open in February and Geneva Open in May.

For Berrettini – also chasing a third title of the year after victory at the Stuttgart Open and Queen's – he will be left to rue letting his first-set advantage slip, after getting the drop on his rival.

The Italian was competing in his first event since he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with COVID-19, and made an impressive start under glorious sunshine on Sunday.

Yet Ruud was able to take him to the wire in the second set, before breaking his serve twice in the decider to emerge triumphant in Gstaad for the second year in a row in the end.

Carlos Alcaraz will play Lorenzo Musetti in the Hamburg European Open final following a straight-sets victory over Alex Molcan on Saturday.

The Spanish teenager is targeting a fifth ATP title of the year, which would move him ahead of Rafael Nadal, having already triumphed in Rio, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid.

Alcaraz is set to move into the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time after seeing off Slovakia's Molcan 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 to reach yet another championship match on his debut in Hamburg.

The top seed broke twice in the opening set but was pegged back on both occasions by Molcan, who was striving to reach a third final of 2022 after finishing as runner-up in Marrakech and Lyon.

But the 19-year-old dominated the tie-break, and found another gear to storm into the final as he made it eight successive sets won this week.

"It was tough," Alcaraz said. "Obviously, [Alex] played really well. The first set was really close; I'm really happy to be able to end the first set playing well.

"I couldn't read the drop shots from him. He was better on the drop shots today, so I was a little bit [frustrated] in the first set.

"In the second set, I think he was down a little bit; he didn't play well. I finished the match with a lot of confidence and played very well."

Standing between Alcaraz and another title is Musetti, who will appear in his maiden ATP final after he overcame Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

The Italian, who is set to climb into the world's top 50 for the first time, had lost six consecutive ATP Tour matches prior to this week.

But the 20-year-old continued his resurgence; ending the Bastad champion's eight-match winning streak by roaring back from 3-1 down in a second-set tie-break.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud will target a third title of 2022 when they lock horns in the Swiss Open showpiece.

Berrettini - a winner in Stuttgart and Queen's before a positive COVID-19 test ruled him out of Wimbledon - registered his 12th successive victory, putting former US Open champion Dominic Thiem to the sword 6-1 6-4 in 78 minutes.

Reigning champion Ruud raced past Albert Ramos-Vinolas; winning five out of seven break points in a resounding 6-2 6-0 triumph.

Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Karen Khachanov to reach the semi-finals of the Hamburg European Open, while Matteo Berrettini will face Dominic Thiem in the last four at the Swiss Open.

Top seed Alcaraz only needed an hour and nine minutes to beat Russian Khachanov 6-0 6-2 in a clay-court masterclass on Friday.

The 19-year-old Spaniard moved a step closer to winning a fifth title this year with a dominant performance, breaking the Russian five times in a one-sided contest.

Alcaraz hit 21 winners as Khachanov was given a harsh lesson and the teenager will next face Alex Molcan, who was 2-0 up in the second set after winning the first on a tie-break when Borna Coric retired due to injury.

"I played unbelievable today, probably one of my best matches this year," Alcaraz said of his win against Khachanov. "I'm pretty happy with the performance that I'm playing in this tournament. Yesterday [a victory over Filip Krajinovic] was amazing as well.

"I'm training every day to be solid and at the same time to be aggressive. That is my game."

Francisco Cerundolo and Lorenzo Musetti will contest the other semi-final in Hamburg after beating Aslan Karatsev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina respectively.

A rejuvenated Thiem is enjoying another hugely encouraging week and will take on Berrettini in his first semi-final of the year following a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in Gstaad.

Austrian Thiem has not played in a final since winning his only grand slam at the 2020 US Open, but he claimed his first ATP-level victory for 14 months in Bastad last week and is through to his first semi-final since May 2021 after bossing the baseline battle with Varillas.

It was not all plain sailing for Berrettini, who roared back to beat Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 after the Spaniard was in command of a second-set tie-break at 5-1, but the second seed extended his winning run to 11 matches.

Top seed Casper Ruud got the better of Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4), booking a showdown with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came through a three-set battle with Nicolas Jarry.

Andrey Rublev crashed out of the Hamburg European Open in straight sets against Francisco Cerundolo, as top seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Filip Krajinovic to reach the quarter-finals.

Second seed Rublev was the latest scalp of Cerundolo's fine run of form, the Argentine making it seven consecutive wins by wrapping up a 6-4 6-2 success in just an hour and a half in Germany.

Having furthered his momentum with a second top-10 win in as many weeks, Cerundolo said: "It is the first time it has happened for me. I am playing against the top guys and I am playing well, it is unbelievable."

Cerundolo will face Aslan Karatsev in the last eight after he recovered from a set down to beat Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6 6-3 6-4.

World number six Alcaraz fared better than Rublev, registering a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Krajinovic to tee up a final-four meeting with Karen Khachanov, who beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

Meanwhile, a host of big names including Casper Rudd and Matteo Berrettini reached the last eight of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, as Dominic Thiem continued his revival with a win over Federico Delbonis.

Thiem reached his second quarter-final in as many weeks with an impressive 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 triumph despite letting a 5-2 lead slip in the opener, registering his first tour-level straight-sets victory since May 2021.

Having set up a meeting with Juan Pablo Varillas, the 2020 US Open champion beamed: "I have won two matches which means a lot to me right now, I really need those ranking points. Every match win is something very special."

The Austrian will be joined in the next round by first and second seeds Ruud and Berrettini, who eased past Jiri Lehecka and Richard Gasquet respectively.

Spanish duo Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pedro Martinez also both progressed to the last eight despite dropping a set, with the latter setting up an enticing clash with Berrettini on Friday.

Wimbledon lost another seed to a positive COVID-19 test on Thursday as former semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut pulled out of the tournament.

The Spaniard, who lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic in their 2019 last-four tussle, announced his withdrawal as play got under way on day four at the All England Club.

Bautista Agut wrote on Twitter: "Today I notified @Wimbledon of my withdrawal. I have tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, the symptoms are not very serious, but I think it is the best decision. Thank you for your support. I hope to come back soon."

Now aged 34, Bautista Agut was the 17th seed at the championships and had been due to play Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan on Court Three on Thursday afternoon.

Galan receives a walkover into the third round as a result of Bautista Agut's announcement.

The loss of Bautista Agut follows the crushing blow of last year's runner-up Matteo Berrettini having to abandon his Wimbledon mission for the same reason.

Eighth seed Berrettini recently won at Queen's Club for the second straight year and was widely considered a credible challenger to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but the Italian pulled out ahead of his first-round match on Tuesday.

Croatian Marin Cilic, a former US Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, also withdrew from the tournament before his opening match after a recent positive test.

Alize Cornet claims several players contracted COVID-19 at last month's French Open, but kept the outbreak quiet in order to avoid mass withdrawals from the tournament.

Wimbledon has already been rocked by two high-profile male players withdrawing after testing positive for the virus, with last year's runner-up Matteo Berrettini and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic both pulling out ahead of scheduled first-round matches on Tuesday.

Now Cornet, who equalled Ai Sugiyama's all-time record of 62 consecutive grand slam main-draw appearances in a win over Yulia Putintseva on day two, claims there were cases at Roland Garros that did not come to light.

"At Roland Garros, there was a Covid epidemic, no one talked about it. In the locker room, everyone got it and we said nothing," she told L'Equipe.

"When it comes out in the press, with big players, it will start to set fire to the lake everywhere and that worries me a little.

"[2021 French Open winner Barbora] Krejcikova withdrew saying she had Covid, and the whole locker room was sick. 

"At some point, we all might have had the flu. The thing is, we have the symptoms, itchy throat… we play and everything is fine, it's fine. 

"At Roland, I think there have been a few cases and it's a tacit agreement between us. We are not going to self-test to get into trouble! 

"Afterwards, I saw girls wearing masks, maybe because they knew and didn't want to pass it on. You also have to have a civic spirit."

When Wimbledon ended last year, there were two great takeaways from the tournament: Novak Djokovic would soon be pulling away in the grand slam title race and Ash Barty was beginning a new era of dominance.

Both seemed to be knock-ins, and yet neither has come to pass. Djokovic missed out on a calendar Grand Slam in New York before being banished from Australia, and despite drawing level with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on 20 grand slams with his Centre Court triumph, he now finds himself two adrift of the Spaniard again.

Barty, meanwhile, has left her own party. The then world number one stunned the tennis world by retiring in March, having added the Australian Open she so craved to her trophy cabinet.

Djokovic and Iga Swiatek head into Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, as the top seeds.

Stats Perform has used Opta facts to consider what the men's and women's singles might deliver.

KING ROGER'S REIGN IS OVER, BUT DJOKOVIC AND NADAL KEEP GOING STRONG

There will come a time when the Wimbledon favourite is not one of the 'Big Three'. That time is not now.

Djokovic is the man most likely, as he targets his fourth straight Wimbledon title and seventh overall; since 2011, when he beat Nadal in the final, the Serbian has only been absent from the trophy match three times (in 2012, 2016 and 2017).

His winning run of 21 matches at Wimbledon is the fifth-longest in the men's singles. Bjorn Borg holds the record (41 between 1976 and 1981).

The last player other than Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon men's title was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. Federer is absent this year and may have played his last Wimbledon.

Nadal has won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010. He won the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, the only season of his career when he has won three slams. This year, at the age of 36, he has the Australian and French Open trophies already locked away, potentially halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, last achieved in men's singles in 1969 by Rod Laver.

Should Nadal pull off another major coup, it would make him only the second man in the Open Era (from 1968) to win the season's first three singles slams, after Laver in 1969 and Djokovic last year.

Can the rest hope to compete?

What of Murray? Well, only Federer (19), Sampras (10), Laver and Jimmy Connors (both nine) have won more ATP titles on grass than the Scot in the Open Era. If he recovers from an abdominal strain, he has a shot at reaching the second week. He will of course have the full backing of the Wimbledon crowd.

Last year's runner-up Matteo Berrettini is fancied more than Nadal by many, having won Stuttgart and Queen's Club titles in the build-up.

There has not been an American men's singles champion since 2000, and although the United States has six players seeded, more than any other nation, it seems a safe enough assumption we will be saying a similar thing again in 12 months' time.

Third seed Casper Ruud has never won a singles match at Wimbledon, while fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas has not had a win since reaching the fourth round in 2018. Daniil Medvedev, the world number one, cannot compete at The All England Club after their contentious decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

IF SERENA CAN'T CHALLENGE SWIATEK, WHO CAN?

From the jaws of retirement, Serena Williams is back. Silence from the 40-year-old about her intentions had become almost deafening, and yet here she is, back at Wimbledon on a wildcard, hoping to rekindle the old magic.

Because she has pushed back against the doubters for over two decades now, you have to take this seriously. Her haul of 23 grand slams is one short of Margaret Court's all-time record and Williams would dearly love to at least match it.

Three years ago, Williams became the oldest player to reach Wimbledon's women's singles final when she lost to Simona Halep. Six years ago, she was the oldest champion when she beat Angelique Kerber.

Only four women in the draw this year besides Williams have been champion before: Petra Kvitova (in 2011 and 2014), Garbine Muguruza (in 2017), Kerber (in 2018) and Halep (in 2019).

World number one Iga Swiatek starts as favourite. Junior Wimbledon champion four years ago, she has scooped two women's French Open titles since then and is on a 35-match winning streak.

After triumphing at Roland Garros in early June, Swiatek will hope to become the first woman since Kerber in 2016 (Australian Open and US Open) to win two singles slams in the same season.

The only competitive warm-up for Williams came in two doubles matches at Eastbourne, having not played since sustaining a hamstring injury at Wimbledon last year. The seven-time champion might consider it a challenge that there has never been an unseeded Wimbledon women's singles finalist during the Open Era.

The women's top two seeds have not met in the final since Serena faced her sister Venus in the 2002 title match, so don't hold your breath for a Swiatek versus Anett Kontaveit showpiece on July 9.

Could Gauff be best of the rest?

Coco Gauff made a breakthrough with her run to the French Open final. Although she was blown away by Swiatek, for the 18-year-old American it was another mark of progress. Gauff reached the fourth round in Wimbledon in 2019 (lost to Halep) and 2021 (lost to Kerber).

Fitness is likely to be the key factor in how US Open champion Emma Raducanu fares at her home grand slam, given her injury problems. Raducanu reached the fourth round on a wildcard last year and the 19-year-old will attempt to become the first British woman to reach that stage in back-to-back seasons since Jo Durie (1984, 1985).

Ons Jabeur, meanwhile, should not be discounted. The world number three reached the quarter-finals at SW19 last year and heads to Wimbledon having won on grass at the Berlin Open, albeit Belinda Bencic had retired hurt in the final.

The likes of Gauff, Raducanu and 21-year-old Swiatek will attempt to become the youngest woman to lift the trophy since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova triumphed in 2004.

A first-round exit for Swiatek would leave the event wide open, but don't count on it. In the Open Era, only three times has the top-seeded woman lost in round one: Steffi Graf in 1994 and Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2001.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal avoided the looming threat of Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios in Friday's Wimbledon draw.

With both Murray and Kyrgios unseeded, they could have been drawn to face any of the top seeds, but it did not work out that way, most likely to everyone's satisfaction.

Instead, top seed and tournament favourite Djokovic drew South Korean Kwon Soon-woo, while Nadal was pitted with 23-year-old Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo.

Djokovic will be bidding for a seventh Wimbledon title and a fourth in succession following triumphs in 2018, 2019 and 2021, after the cancellation of the 2020 championships.

For second seed Nadal, who has won the Australian Open and French Open already this year to reach a record 22 men's grand slam singles titles, there is the possibility of a rare calendar Grand Slam.

He must carry off the title at Wimbledon for the first time since 2010 to stay in the hunt for that elusive clean sweep, last achieved in men's singles in 1969 by Rod Laver.

Murray, who like Nadal is a two-time former Wimbledon champion, was paired with James Duckworth of Australia and could face big-serving American John Isner in round two. Murray has been troubled by an abdominal strain in the past fortnight, and it remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old is in shape to be a contender.

Duckworth's countryman Kyrgios has been in fine form of late, reaching consecutive semi-finals in Houston, Stuttgart and Halle before he too suffered an abdominal twinge this week and withdrew from the Mallorca Championships. Kyrgios will start against Britain's Paul Jubb at Wimbledon.

A notable first-round clash saw three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka, in the draw on a wildcard, paired with Italian 10th seed Sinner, while Matteo Berrettini, runner-up to Djokovic last year, will play Chile's Cristian Garin.

Powerful Italian Berrettini, who has won the Stuttgart and Queen's Club titles on grass this year, features on Nadal's side of the draw, while in the top half Djokovic has the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz for company.

Alcaraz, the 19-year-old Spanish revelation who has won four titles already this year, was drawn to face the experienced German Jan-Lennard Struff in round one.

Men's third seed Casper Ruud has never won a singles match at Wimbledon, losing in the first round on his previous two appearances. The recent French Open runner-up will look to get off the mark on the SW19 grass against 34-year-old Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Carlos Alcaraz does not believe he should be considered among the favourites to win Wimbledon given his lack of experience playing on grass. 

The teenage Spaniard is enjoying a breakout season, having won a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid and picked up further silverware in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona. 

Alcaraz has been seeded fifth for just his second main-draw appearance at Wimbledon. Last year, he beat Yasutaka Uchiyama in five sets before falling to a straight-sets defeat against Daniil Medvedev. 

They are Alcaraz's only ATP Tour-level matches on grass, so his main focus heading to the All England Club is to simply improve his feel for the surface. 

"I don't mind being in the spotlight, I don't see it as pressure, but I've seen that I'm considered one of the favourites for Wimbledon. I don't see it that way at all," Alcaraz told the Spanish media. 

"There are many players who play better than me on grass. [Novak] Djokovic, Rafa [Rafael Nadal], [Matteo] Berrettini... We are going to try to gain experience on this surface. 

"Knowing how to move well on grass is very important. I think it's the key to being able to get good results. We're trying to improve in mobility and the small details that are more important on this surface. 

"Being more aggressive, trying to take advantage of the fact that I volley well – those things." 

Alcaraz is playing an exhibition tournament at Hurlingham this week and lost his opening match against Frances Tiafoe 6-4 6-2 on Thursday. 

The world number seven has been struggling with an elbow issue, but experienced no discomfort during his defeat. 

"A week ago, I couldn't train at all," he added. "I came here unsure if I was going to be able to play normally.

"The days I've been able to train I've felt quite well – zero pain in the elbow – and today there was no pain in the match with Tiafoe."

Matteo Berrettini ramped up his Wimbledon preparations by securing his seventh ATP Tour title and fourth on grass as he won again at the Queen's Club Championships.

The Italian returned from injury in emphatic fashion at the Stuttgart Open, defeating Andy Murray in the final, before heading to Queen's ahead of the start of the third major of the year.

Berrettini had little trouble negotiating his way through to Sunday's showpiece, dropping just one set throughout the tournament to set up a meeting with Filip Krajinovic.

And despite having to battle in the first set, Berrettini triumphed 7-5 6-4 to retain the title he won last year.

The 26-year-old had an early break cancelled out by Krajinovic but got a crucial second break to take the first set.

A tentative opening followed in the second set, yet Berrettini's patience paid off when he broke in the fifth game and he was able to serve out the victory.

That signified Berrettini's ninth straight win, all on grass, after a three-month injury lay-off.

Berrettini is the first player in the Open Era to win titles in each of his first two appearances at Queen's, and is the eighth repeat champion at the tournament – the other seven players to have achieved that feat are all former world number ones.

"I arrived to Stuttgart, and I wasn't feeling great, I wasn't hitting the ball the way I want it that way I used to do, and I was like 'guys I think it's going be tough' and then it went pretty well," he said after the win," Berrettini said.

"I mean I guess I'm Italian, I'm always complaining!"

Berrettini has also advanced to the final in all four of his past grass-court events, with his only defeat coming against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last year.

The world number 10 will now look to go one better this time around at The All England Club.