Sinner set for MRI on injured elbow after 'unfortunate fall'

Wimbledon

Sinner set for MRI on injured elbow after 'unfortunate fall'

Italian felt elbow issue on serve and forehand

Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images Jannik Sinner braced a fall with his right arm early in his Wimbledon fourth-round match. By ATP Staff

All the attention after Jannik Sinner's fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov was on the unfortunate injury that forced the Bulgarian to retire mid-match at a fifth consecutive Grand Slam. But the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings also left Centre Court with a knock, the severity of which is yet unknown.

In the very first game of the fourth-round matchup, Sinner hit the deck and braced himself with his right arm. He later received a medical timeout for treatment on his elbow, and now plans to get an MRI to further analyse the injury.

"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 [on the] 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."

Having recently split with his physiotherapist and trainer, he will work with the ATP Tour's physios on his elbow: "Here they have good ATP physios, in any case," he said. "The doctor's good. As I said, tomorrow we are going to check with MRI to see if there's something serious, and then we try to adjust it."

Despite any impact the injury might have had on his play, Sinner was full of praise for Dimitrov's effort to build a 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 lead on Centre Court.

"He served incredibly well. Very precise, also very fast. Changed up the game very, very well," he assessed after coming within four games of defeat. "It was a bit breezy, and he used the wind in the best possible way. I could feel that he prepared the match in a very good way, and he executed even better. He was playing some great tennis... I think he's showing his potential. It's very unfortunate, as I said on court. I wish him a speedy recovery."

Next up for Sinner is a Wimbledon rematch with Ben Shelton, whom he beat in last year's fourth round. The Italian has won the past 12 sets they've played, including three in this year's Australian Open quarter-finals, to build a 5-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage in their budding rivalry.

Sinner identified his return of serve as a key to their matchup and also noted Shelton's improved baseline game and his four-set battle with eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros. But before he can focus on the box-office American, Sinner must take care of himself.

"Let's see what's coming, but it's going to be a problem in two days, no?" he said. "Now I have to focus on other stuff first and hopefully be 100 per cent."

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