Italian top seed Jannik Sinner did not let an elbow injury hamper his performance as he beat American opponent Ben Shelton to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Sinner, 23, who wore a sleeve on his right elbow, occasionally shook out his arm in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-4 victory but the injury did not hold him back.
The three-time Grand Slam champion had hurt himself after falling in the early part of Monday’s fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, who led by two sets before retiring injured himself.
Sinner made the most of his reprieve with a dominant display against American 10th seed Shelton, who saved two match points on his own serve before succumbing to the third.
“I’m very happy with this performance,” said Sinner, who has reached at least the semi-finals in the past four majors.
“When you are in a match with a lot of tension you try not to think about [any pain]. It has improved a lot from yesterday to today.
“It is no excuse. Three is no better stage to play tennis and I showed this today.”
Sinner’s serve speed returned towards its normal pace and he was not broken, while his returning game was crisp and clinical.
To reach his first Wimbledon final, the world number one will have to beat 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli in Friday’s semi-final.
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Source: BBC
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