”Sinner’s ball speed was incredible; I’ve never seen anything like it," Shelton said after his 6-7, 4-6, 4-6 loss to the world number one. "When you play Sinner, everything happens at double speed. I usually adapt well to pace, but it was tough to neutralize Sinner’s power and speed combined.”

Sinner entered the match with an elbow injury that forced him to miss his pre-match practice. However, the Italian maintained his composure, boasting an 89% first-serve point win percentage, 33 winners, and only 17 unforced errors. The top seed capitalized on two of five break points and held serve throughout. This was Sinner's sixth consecutive victory over Shelton. Earlier this year, he defeated the American in the semi-finals of the Australian Open before claiming the title.

Shelton (right) congratulates Sinner after their quarter-final match at Wimbledon's Centre Court, All England Club, London, England, on 9/7. Photo: Reuters

Shelton (right) congratulates Sinner after their quarter-final match at Wimbledon's Centre Court, All England Club, London, England, on 9/7. Photo: Reuters

Shelton explained that he had a detailed game plan against Sinner and believed he had the right approach. However, on the court, the 10th seed struggled in rallies, even though Sinner appeared hampered at times by his injury. "I think maybe I was a little hesitant in some moments," Shelton added. "But overall, there weren't really any viable options presenting themselves.”

Shelton dismissed the significance of Sinner’s injury, citing the quality of his shots as evidence. Despite his exit, the American expressed pride in reaching at least the quarter-finals in three of the four Grand Slams by the age of 22.

Sinner advances to the semi-finals to face Novak Djokovic, whom he recently defeated at Roland Garros. “I’m happy with how I played today,” Sinner said in his press conference. “I tried not to think too much about the injury after only having 20 minutes of practice to prepare for this match.”

Sinner has won 24 of his 27 matches this year. He lost to Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon semi-finals but has won their last four encounters, all in the semi-finals or finals of major tournaments. As Sinner's match with Shelton concluded, Djokovic was still battling another Italian, Flavio Cobolli, on Centre Court. Djokovic later secured a 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. He failed to reach the final in the previous two.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back on Centre Court for the next round,” Sinner added. “Compared to my first time in 2023, I'm much more comfortable on the big stage. Wimbledon is the most special tournament of the year, so I'm excited to put on a good show for the fans.”

Sinner and Djokovic will face off on 11/7, alongside the other semi-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.

Vy Anh