What happened to Jannik Sinner's elbow? Explaining why World No. 1 tennis star has wrap on arm

As Jannik Sinner pursues a fourth Grand Slam, he'll have somewhat of a physical limitation at Wimbledon.

The Italian tennis star and world No. 1 is wearing a sleeve over his right arm for his quarterfinals matchup against Ben Shelton, a result of an injury he sustained in the last round.

Sinner wound up advancing to the quarterfinals Monday because his opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, retired due to injury. However, Sinner is dealing with an ailment of his own, which he got an MRI for recently, as Wimbledon action has continued.

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Here's why Sinner is wearing an arm sleeve vs. Shelton at Wimbledon and what to know about his elbow injury.

MORE: Live updates from Ben Shelton vs. Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon quarterfinals

What happened to Jannik Sinner's elbow? 

On Monday, Sinner fell during the first round of his fourth-round matchup against Dimitrov. He went to receive medical attention for his right elbow soon after.

It appeared as if the injury was impacting the 23-year-old star's play vs. Dimitrov as the match continued, with Dimitrov building a 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 lead before he had to retire due to an injury of his own.

— ESPN (@espn) July 7, 2025

While that meant Sinner advanced to the quarterfinals vs. Shelton, his elbow was also not at 100 percent. After the match, Sinner said he would undergo an MRI to "see if there's something serious."

"[The fall] 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," Sinner said to the media on Monday. "Tomorrow we are going to check to see how it is, and then we'll see."

Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, did not have an update on the MRI on Tuesday, per ESPN. However, Sinner did hold a limited practice session on Tuesday prior to the quarterfinals.

"We did go out to the indoor courts and just fed balls (to him) for 20-30 minutes, just to feel the ball," Cahill said, per ESPN. "He's going to be OK, it was just nice to get on the court -- it's impossible for him to take a day off."

When Sinner was spotted preparing for the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Wednesday, he was wearing a sleeve over his right elbow that covered nearly his entire arm.

🇮🇹 Jannik Sinner trained this morning with an arm sleeve on to protect his elbow pic.twitter.com/JqP67cfElM

— Olly Tennis 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) July 9, 2025

Jannik Sinner's putting in the work ahead of his QF against Ben Shelton 😤#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/BptZKSgfp6

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2025

Cahill also said Wednesday that Sinner was "ready to go" for the quarterfinals and "he felt fine this morning."

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 9, 2025

 When Sinner came out for his match vs. Shelton, he was still wearing the arm sleeve. 

Jannik Sinner, wearing a white sleeve on his questionable right elbow, will play this #wimbledon QF vs Ben Shelton pic.twitter.com/JKkZ0lsdMG

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) July 9, 2025

Sleeved Sinner starting soon…#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/LDKJDUBMsU

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 9, 2025