MATTEO BERRETTINI fired a Wimbledon warning as he defended his London’s Queen’s Club title today.

The Italian, runner-up at SW19 last year to Novak Djokovic, beat another Serbian, surprise package Filip Krajinovic, 7-5 6-4 to win the Queen’s championship for the second year running.

In doing so Berrettini joined John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray as the only players in the open era to successfully retain the Queen’s Club crown.

The world number 10 has been invincible this grass-court season, unbeaten since returning from recent hand surgery.

He has won back-to-back titles, having beaten Murray in Stuttgart last weekend, and now has his sights set firmly on going one better at Wimbledon, which begins in a week’s time.

Things looked ominous for underdog Krajinovic, ranked 48 in the world, when he had to fend off break points in his first two service games and then dropped serve in his third.

But despite his aversion to grass — Krajinovic had never won a match on the surface prior to this week — he was not in the final just to make up the numbers and hit straight back for 3-3.

Berrettini got his nose in front again at 6-5 and this time decisively served out the set to take firm control.

And the wheels came off for Krajinovic midway through the second set as Berrettini broke to love.

After finishing the job with a booming ace, Berrettini said: “The last thing I expected after a surgery was two titles in a row and to defend my title here.”

Krajinovic’s unlikely run to the final will earn him enough ranking points to be among the seeds at Wimbledon, where he has suffered four first-round exits.

He said: “It was an amazing last 10 days, very emotional to be in my first final on grass.

“Just before this tournament I never won a match on grass and I hated playing on grass. But I feel now I want to play more and more. For sure I’m going to play here next year.”

Naomi Osaka is set to miss Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.

The 24-year-old Japanese has not played since a first-round exit at the French Open and had already said her Wimbledon participation was in doubt due to the tournament’s lack of ranking points in 2022.

And in Eastbourne, world number three Paula Badosa has urged British people to stop putting pressure on Emma Raducanu and backed the grand slam champion to adjust to life on the WTA Tour in time.

US Open champion Raducanu is in a race to be fit for Wimbledon after she sustained an injury to her side at Nottingham earlier this month, the latest in a string of fitness issues for the teenager in 2022.

Badosa said: “She needs time, and I think she needs more experience on tour — and she will get it — but I think people have to stop putting all this pressure on her and expectations.

“What she did is play very, very well at one grand slam and she won it, so you can see how good she is; but you cannot expect her to win every match and tournament because that is impossible.”