Jannik Sinner Reveals Game Plan for Ben Shelton at Wimbledon

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 8:55 AM ET

On Monday, Jannik Sinner defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a walkover during their fourth round match at Wimbledon. The ATP World No. 1 was down two sets when Dimitrov tore his pectoral muscle and retired from the match.

Sinner made it clear he was not happy with how he won his match. While it may be seen as the Italian superstar catching a lucky break, Sinner did sustain an injury of his own.

During the first game of the match, Sinner hit the court awkwardly on his right arm. He later received a medical timeout and will get an MRI today to measure the extent of the damage.

"It was a quite unfortunate fall," Sinner said in his post-match press conference. "I checked the videos a little bit, and it didn't seem a tough one, but I still felt it quite a lot, especially serve and forehand. I could feel it. So let's see. Tomorrow we are going to check to see how it is, and then we'll see."

This ill-timed injury comes just a week after Sinner abruptly fired his fitness coach and physiotherapist before the start of Wimbledon. Additionally, Sinner has a short time to prepare for the tenth seed Ben Shelton.

When asked for his thoughts about playing Shelton, Sinner revealed his game plan for the upcoming quarterfinal showdown.

"Return of the serve for sure is the first thing. Obviously, he's improved a lot from the back of the court. He had a great match against Carlos [Alcaraz] in Paris, too," said Sinner.

Sinner added, "He knows how to play on every surface. I faced him last year here. It was a very, very difficult match. Let's see what’s coming. It's going to be a problem in two days, no? Now I have to focus on other stuff first, and hopefully be 100%."

Shelton won their first-ever meeting during the 2023 Shanghai Masters, but Sinner has rattled off five consecutive victories over the American tennis star. Sinner leads Shelton 5-1 in their head-to-head record on the ATP Tour.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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