Wimbledon 2021 LIVE result: Novak Djokovic beats Matteo Berrettini - men’s final latest updates

Tim Henman believes Matteo Berrettini must dictate the early games and settle into the same pattern that’s seen him lose just six out of 38 matches this year.

“The early exchanges, the first seven games or so, if Berrettini can keep in touch and get the crowd on his side then you begin to paint the picture of how an upset could happen today,” he tells the BBC.

Over on Court No 3, Britain’s Gordon Reid has been defeated by Joachim Gerard 2-6 6-7 in the final of the men’s wheelchair singles.

“Berrettini is kind of an underdog,” he said. “People also like to see someone win who is an underdog or is not maybe expected to win, is not the favourite to win. But hopefully people can also recognise also the importance of this match for me, the history that is on the line.”

“He’s one of the best players in the world in the last 12 months I think,” Djokovic said. “He’s had some big wins, against Dominic Thiem in Australia [at the ATP Cup] and reached the semi-finals of the US Open two years ago. He’s working his way up.

“With big weapons in the serve and forehand, he can play well on any surface. Obviously grass favours his game even more. If he serves big, as he did throughout the entire tournament, it’s tough to break his serve, to go into the rhythm, to find a good position to return and make him play.”

“I believe in my return. I think the return has served me very well throughout my career. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a lot of those serves back and wait for my chances. I will have to also serve efficiently myself, as I’ve done in the semi-final. I think I served very well, especially when I needed a first serve to get myself out of trouble.

“It’s the final. It’s really anybody’s game. He’s arguably the guy who has been in the best form on grass courts this year, winning Queen’s. He’s red hot. It’s going to be a great battle.”

“I do think Berrettini has a shot at this,” Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, said. “He’s not as complete a player as [Stefanos] Tsitsipas but the grass just gives him another leg up. That serve and forehand is the biggest. I can think of [Andy] Roddick, but this is almost another level. I can’t think of a better one-two combination.

“You think of the weapons. What do you need to beat Djokovic? You need to stop him returning serve. Novak will get the majority of them back, but then you’ve got to damage his consistency and put him on the run. You can’t play Novak on his terms. Berrettini has the opportunity, he’s got the game to do it on his own terms and that is what I think is exciting. The mental side of it, of course, is another thing. Tactically he has the game to beat Novak but whether you can keep it up for five sets is another story.

“We’ll see how he goes. I don’t think he’s going to be too fazed by being in the final. If he gets his first service game out of the way, I think he’ll settle pretty well. I’ve been impressed. He’s a great competitor.”

“Obviously, Djokovic is a huge favourite against Berrettini and he seems to be able to embrace and talk about what he is trying to accomplish. That’s not easy to say that and back it up,” the seven-time major champion said.

“Berrettini has a puncher’s chance. He has a huge serve and a huge forehand, but it is about whether he can execute and take it to Djokovic enough. If he can get Djokovic on his heels often enough then it could be competitive.

“It is going to hard for Berrettini to handle the nerves. We saw that in the women’s final with Pliskova, it is tough. But he knows his best tennis is on grass and needs to let it all hang out. I think he will win at least a set, but I wouldn’t pick him to win the match.”

Yesterday, Ashleigh Barty become the first Australian woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish since her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, on Centre Court as the world No 1 defeated Karolina Pliskova in a rollercoaster three-set final.

Meanwhile, in Berrettini’s semi-final between two of the tour’s heavyweight servers, the Italian outgunned Hubert Hurkacz to seal victory in four sets. That was no easy feat, either, with Hurkacz having already defeated No 2 seed Daniil Medvedev and then Roger Federer.

Djokovic had enjoyed a gentle draw but faced by far his toughest test in the semi-finals against Denis Shapovalov. The exhilarating Canadian forced 11 break points on the Serbian’s serve and was able to dictate rallies with his powerful groundstrokes but, in the key moments, his nerves deserted him and Djokovic raised his game to close out a 7-6 7-5 7-5 victory that was trickier than the scoreline suggests. If you missed the highly entertaining match, check out the highlights below:

Berrettini has already become the first Italian finalist at Wimbledon but, as the Azzurri take on England at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final, the 25-year-old is dreaming of completing one half of what could be a legendary sporting day in the country’s history.

“My first final in Wimbledon, it’s just crazy to think about it,” he said. “I think I never dreamed about this because it was too much for a dream. Obviously for Italian people in general, it’s going to be tough Sunday. But I think we deserve it. I think it’s going to be a special Sunday for all of us. It’s great day, great sport day. I’m really happy that together with football tennis is now one of the biggest sports in Italy.”