Sinner forgets about his elbow and deflates Shelton to meet Djokovic in the semifinals.

There were doubts, because that fall in the first game of the match against Grigor Dimitrov had dynamited his good run at Wimbledon. There were doubts, because the elbow had prevented him from playing his tennis freely. And he was two sets down. And suddenly he was in the quarterfinals because the Bulgarian suffered a pectoral injury. But Jannik Sinner has recovered from everything and dispelled the doubts with a slap on Ben Shelton, who will be a very good player, who already moves very well on grass, who has a great serve and a lot of desire, but who still struggles with that level of concentration and consistency that the best, like Sinner, have.

The Italian underwent an MRI on Tuesday to see what had happened to that elbow that had been hurting so much in the match against Dimitrov. And in the afternoon, he trained for just a few minutes on the indoor courts to test himself. There were still doubts, but he took to the court at Aorangi Park (Wimbledon's training ground) and confirmed that, at least outwardly, everything was fine. After the match, on Court 1, against Shelton, he further corroborated this. A triumph thanks to experience and quality that, despite wearing a protective armband, takes him to the semifinals.

There's a fight in the first set. Shelton is already here, weapons at the ready that bode well. Excellent coordination and mobility on the grass, high percentages of first shots with speed, and slices that increase his danger on grass due to his left-handedness. Sinner is patient, only a year older than the American, but he's already crossed many bridges like the one he's crossing in this Grand Slam. He holds his own with his serves, only losing one point on the first and only one on the second, and excels with his returns, although the American doesn't allow him a single break point. He doesn't suffer from them either.

And in the tie, the tiebreak. It's a different game, as if it were just another match at times, because the dynamics of normal games are blown out of proportion and mental capacity, calm, order, experience, and composure come into play. And this is the difference between Sinner and Shelton. The Italian executes his backhand to displace his opponent, and the latter lacks legs, and if he has them, he lacks the prudence to respond. Errors and nerves accumulate, and there are two double faults in this tiebreak that definitively determine the set. Sinner closes his right fist, the one at the elbow that seemed to have doubts. No longer.

Perhaps the heat, the muggy atmosphere that has gripped London on this Wednesday, is affecting the American more, as he fails to fully exploit the power of his flat shots to try and hurt the Italian, not even taking advantage of his slice, and Sinner continues to do his thing, unfazed once again in this final stretch of the tournament, having never enjoyed a final at the Cathedral and longing for one for some time.

Sinner goes all in in the second set and once again benefits from that serve that Shelton can't quite read. And the world number 1 doesn't even need to activate his tie-break mentality because he breaks the American first. At 5-4 and returning, in that game, Shelton should have issued a challenge to who wants to be the next champion. But that's when his hand faltered, as he conceded the second set with his great serve, with four unforced errors from his hand.

Shelton doesn't learn from experience, and although he holds his serve for another half hour, he fades again at the limit. Again at 4-5 and serving, the need to take risks to prolong the match gets to the American. He fights back with the first match point against him, a good forehand that Sinner can't reach; and with the second, an ace to return the game to deuce, but concedes the third match point with a double fault. And on the third, with Sinner returning, his forehand fails.

Shelton smiles shyly in his farewell to the Central, and Sinner expands a little more. Still content because the work isn't done, but with a good victory that builds confidence and resolve and clears up any doubts about his elbow. It's the Italian's sixth consecutive victory over the American, and his second semifinal at Wimbledon. It's, for now, his best result, but elbow aside, the number one Sinner is aiming for more, aiming for everything.

"When you play a match with a lot of tension, you try not to think about it (the elbow discomfort). It's improved a lot from yesterday to today. Yesterday I had a very short training session, 20 minutes with my coaches. It's not an excuse. There's no better setting to play tennis. I think I proved that today. The atmosphere helped me a lot. Thanks for the support," the player commented afterward. "We'll see."

We'll also see how Novak Djokovic reacts after a last-second scare against Flavio Cobolli. The Serbian was serving to win on his second victory point and landed awkwardly, twisting his knee, and Central threw his hands to his head, like his son in the box. There were moments of tension, but after a few stretches, Djokovic got back to his feet. He was able to serve and move Cobolli from side to side to finish the job at the net with a smooth shot. Victory, then halftime, because the match was long and there's still a lot to play for.

The Serbian has his 102nd victory at the Cathedral, and that's three hours and 11 minutes more under his belt. And all his rivals know it, even joking afterward, saying, "I'm very fresh." It's been 38 years and a thousand battles like this, and it hasn't been easy for him, even though he beat the Italian out of modesty and because, without a doubt, on this court you have to do a lot to beat him. There are few who are at his level, for the moment; only Sinner and Alcaraz are expected, perhaps in that order if everything goes as the tennis world hopes. But it's true that the Serbian, who has been on a top level these days, is more noticeable in slow motion than usual.

Cobolli tries, having a very good hand even though he hasn't achieved great results so far. He's a growing player and he does it with polish, without fear, not even flinching in the tiebreak, where the Serbian used to be a master. He's no longer as fresh and pales in the face of cross-court forehands. He has legs, but also a limit on the gas tank.

But it's winning the first set and you notice Djokovic's urgency, his desire to bite, to stay here, to look for the opportunity to make a new roar into history, knowing he and everyone else that this may be the last chance for a 25th Grand Slam. Not because of his level, which is higher than 90% as he's showing, but because he will clash in the final rounds with those who, today, seem to pay no attention to legends or pressures, but to an aspiration like the Serbian's to win it all.

The Belgrade native accelerated in the following sets and in just half an hour, he demolished Cobolli in the second. The Italian recovered to fight, but got too entangled and conceded even more in the third; he struggled in the long sets where the Serb moved with agility. He trembled when he shouldn't in the fourth, on his serve. There was respect for his opponent and a lack of that consistency that keeps him from achieving great moments, for now. Djokovic still has options to win early, but he does so with his serve. And in that last game, on that serve for the match, he held his breath for a second after that fall that in other players might have been a surrender, coming after the scare of Grigor Dimitrov. But for Djokovic, elasticity, balance, and a body of rubber despite his 38 years of age, it's a setback that doesn't prevent him from triumphing later. For now, in the Wimbledon semifinals. On Friday, against Jannik Sinner.