Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Sinner's dodgy elbow gives Shelton an opening

Arguably the biggest moment of Wimbledon so far involved Sinner and Grigor Dimitrov in their R16 clash two days ago - Dimitrov was on the brink of a seismic upset as he led the top seed 6-3 7-5 2-2 before injuring his pectoral muscle while serving, ultimately forcing his retirement and casting doubt over the remainder of his year. Additionally, Sinner also took a nasty tumble on his elbow, requiring a medical timeout. Sinner missed a scheduled practice yesterday and was awaiting results of a MRI, so there's a decent chance he will be below full fitness for this encounter.

I believe Shelton has the game on grass to take full advantage. It's no doubt Sinner's least preferred surface and the American's huge left-handed serve can do damage here. Shelton has forced at least one tiebreak in all five previous meetings with Sinner, including last year at Wimbledon and earlier this year in the Australian Open semi-finals. It all hinges on Sinner's fitness - if he's 100 per cent, he most likely wins this. But, I'm prepared to take a punt on Shelton here all things considered.

Sinner leads 5-1. Shelton won their first meeting at Shanghai in 2023, but Sinner has won the last four and 12 consecutive sets, including in the 2024 Wimbledon R16 and Australian Open semis earlier this year.

Sinner comes into this clash with a 23-3 record on the season, but it hasn't been a great comeback from suspension.

Indeed, Sinner has lost two finals in Rome and Roland Garros to main rival Carlos Alcaraz, while he was bundled out of Halle by Alexander Bublik in his only warm-up tournament on grass.

The only Grand Slam where he is yet to reach a final, Sinner was aided by a comfortable draw across his opening three rounds at Wimbledon, beating Luca Nardi, Aleksandar Vukic and Pedro Martinez in straight sets.

However, things got tricky against a proven grass courter in Dimitrov in the R16, with the Bulgarian dominating Sinner until suffering his pectoral injury at the start of the third set. Sinner made the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, but was knocked out by Daniil Medvedev in five sets.

Shelton heads into this encounter with a 24-14 record on the season, repeatedly peaking for the big events.

In just 12 Grand Slam main draw appearances, Shelton has reached at least the quarter-finals on four occasions, including making two semi-finals at the 2023 US Open and 2025 Australian Open.

After cracking the top 10 for the first time following a R16 showing at Roland Garros, Shelton lost four matches on the trot heading into Wimbledon.

However, the 22-year-old has again saved his best tennis for the slams, dropping just one set on his way to the quarter-finals, beating Alex Bolt, Rinky Hijikata and Marton Fucsovics in straights before a four-set triumph over Lorenzo Sonego in what was the third straight time the pair had met in a slam this year.