Early in the first week of Wimbledon, Roger Federer was asked why he thinks Matteo Berrettini, the seventh seed who swept to the Queen’s Club title two weeks ago, was considered more likely to reach the final than Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed. With all the disdain in the world, Federer put the blame on the bias of English bookies, explaining they tend to weigh results at Queen’s Club too heavily. Federer did admit, however, that Berrettini’s results have been strong. The Italian arrives in the second week on an eight-match winning sequence and with 20 wins in his past 22 matches on grass. With so many younger players still not as comfortable on grass as other surfaces, in many eyes he entered the tournament as a leader of a challenging pack that remains far behind Novak Djokovic. There are many fair reasons for this. Berrettini is one of the few players whose game is suited naturally to grass, and he has thrived on the surface since his second senior season on it. It also helps to have a serve that is a force of nature. Exactly 50% of his serves at Wimbledon this year have gone unreturned, he is averaging 20 aces per match, and the 25-year-old has lost just one service game so far. The fastest serve speed of the tournament? His numerous 139mph bombs. Beyond his serve, Berrettini is also blessed with a heavy and destructive forehand that generates wicked topspin and angles. What sets him apart on grass from a typical serve and forehand player, however, is that he complements his explosive weapons with delicate touch. Berrettini’s one-handed backhand slice is an intricate, instinctive shot that skids low on the grass, and he is comfortable both at the net and in mixing drop shots into his game. How far Berrettini goes in the coming week rests significantly on his one glaring weakness – defending his two-handed backhand. The deeper Berrettini moves into the draw, the more players will attempt to move him into the left side of the court and make him uncomfortable on his backhand wing. On Monday he faces Ilya Ivashka, a 27-year-old Belarusian ranked 79th, in a match that Berrettini should win comfortably. Should he advance, then the likes of Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Federer loom in the bottom half. How he handles the coming challenges will reveal much more about him.