LONDON: Jannik Sinner said his elbow has improved after sealing his place in the semi-finals at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The top seed edged out America’s Ben Shelton 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4, in a closely contested match which featured only two breaks of serve throughout 141 minutes of play. Sinner produced 33 winners against 17 unforced errors and won 80% of his first service points. Becoming the first Italian player to reach the last four at The All England Club on multiple occasions, after also doing so in 2023.
“I’m very happy about today’s performance,” said Sinner.
“Playing against him (Shelton) is so difficult, you have chances and then he serves very well.
“We are playing (against) each other more and more. I’m looking forward to these kinds of battles.”
Despite the victory, questions remain about the current state of Sinner’s right elbow, which he was experiencing discomfort with during his previous match against Grigor Dimitrov two days ago. Yesterday, he was due to have a practice session but cancelled it and opted to train on an indoor court instead.
During his clash against Shelton, Sinner at one stage appeared to be in pain again with his elbow, which he has a protective sleeve on. After trying to return a serve, he was seen shaking it and grimacing. However, this proved to be a minor blip as he continued playing without showing any sign of concern. His average serve speed was 123.9 mph.
“When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try not to think about it,” he said of his elbow.
“It has improved a lot from yesterday to today. Yesterday, my day was very short on the practice court, 20 minutes with the coaches only.
“But there is no excuse. There is no better place to play tennis, and I think I showed that today.”
Sinner is the youngest player to reach the semi-finals at four consecutive Grand Slams since Rafael Nadal. He is aiming to become the first Italian player – male or female – to win the singles title this year.
“I remember my first time on Centre Court, playing in the semi-finals. It’s very special. I’m looking forward to it.” He said.
“When you’re young, one year makes such a difference because you get used to big stages.
“Wimbledon is the most special tournament in the calendar. Being in the last four is special for me.”
