Matteo Berrettini likes to tell a story about how, as a youngster, he was not considered to be a great athlete, finding himself bottom of the stats when it came to athletic prowess among his fellow top junior players. On Friday, the 25-year-old from Rome became the first Italian – man or woman – to reach the Wimbledon final, beating Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, the 14th seed, 6-3, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4 with a barrage of stunning strikes.

In the biggest match of his career to date, the No 7 seed hit 60 winners, served like a dream with 22 aces, and made just 18 unforced errors to take his place in a first grand slam final. “I have no words, really,” said Berrettini, who banged his heart in the direction of his family and team after Hurkacz’s final forehand return flew over the baseline.