Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon campaign continues as he books his place in the semifinals.
Surviving his fourth-round match by the skin of his teeth, Sinner was determined to produce a better performance in the quarterfinals.
With his elbow strapped up, many wondered whether he would struggle against Ben Shelton, but the world number one soon put those questions to bed.
Winning in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-4, Sinner advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the second time in his career.
During his on-court interview, Sinner provided an update on his elbow ahead of his semifinal match against either Novak Djokovic or Flavio Cobolli.
Jannik Sinner says his elbow has improved ‘a lot’ since yesterday as he reaches Wimbledon semis
After the match, Sinner was asked how his elbow was feeling, having secured the win in three sets.
“When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try not to think about it,” he said.
“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 in the other way, I am looking forward to it. There is no better stage to play tennis, and I think I showed this today. The atmosphere helps me so much, so thanks for the support.”
Sinner cancelled his practice session on Tuesday evening, leading many to speculate whether he was planning to withdraw from the tournament.
Instead, the Italian practiced indoors, away from the public, as coach Darren Cahill confirmed Sinner’s intentions to play the quarterfinal.
Reflecting on the match itself, Sinner was delighted with his performance, as he knocked out the world number ten without too much trouble.
“I am very, very happy about today’s performance. Playing against him is so difficult,” he said.
“He serves very well as we saw in the last game, but overall, we play each other now more and more and got to know each other a bit better, and I’m looking forward to these kinds of battles.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| Jannik Sinner | 7 | 1 | 65% | 89% | 69% |
| Ben Shelton | 14 | 6 | 59% | 80% | 49% |
“It’s even more special to play in front of you guys. It’s an honour and an amazing feeling, thank you.”
The 23-year-old was then asked how much had changed since he qualified for his first Wimbledon semifinal two years ago.
“I remember the first time playing on Centre Court. I do remember the first time playing semi-finals here, and it’s very special. I am, of course, looking forward to it,” said Sinner.
“But also the other way, when you are young, 22, 23, and 24, one year can make such a difference because you get more used to the big stages, and obviously it feels so, so amazing.
“Wimbledon is the most special tournament we have in the calendar, so being here again in the last four means a lot to me, and hopefully it is going to be a good match in the next one. I am looking forward to it.”
Sinner lost out to Djokovic in his first Wimbledon semifinal in 2023, a result he will hope to avoid a repeat of should the Serb qualify for the last four this time around.
Greg Rusedski says Jannik Sinner has one of the ‘strongest minds’ of any athlete in the world
Reacting to Sinner’s win on BBC Radio 5 Live, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski claimed Sinner made a ‘statement’ against Shelton.
“What a performance, he got out of jail in his previous match against Grigor Dimitrov, who was the better player on the evening. He’s taken advantage, everybody was worried about his elbow, this was a statement performance, he found a way to get through, the tennis was exceptional from both men,” said Rusedski.
“He says, don’t forget about me, I’m still the number one player on the planet, everyone is talking about Carlos Alcaraz, back in the semis, I’m ready to go.”
Heaping praise onto the world number one, Rusedski shared just how impressed he has been with Sinner’s mentality.
“Nothing flusters this man, he’s quite amazing, for such a young man, only 23 years of age, the way he deals with things, he’s got one of the strongest minds of any athlete I’ve seen in the world,” he said.
Only time will tell if Sinner can qualify for his first Wimbledon final in 2025, but if he can keep performing like that, he will be in with a great chance.
Sinner will return to take on either Djokovic or Cobolli in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday, July 11.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
