Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 8, 2024 Italy’s Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2026 US Open after failing to overcome a knee injury that has kept him out of action since Wimbledon last month.
Sinner, the 2024 US Open champion, has not played a competitive match since defeating Alexander Zverev to claim his second successive Wimbledon title in mid-July.
“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year,” Sinner said in a post on Instagram Friday morning. “We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.”
The five-time grand slam winner said he was “sad and disappointed” to miss out on the US Open, which marks the first time that he has missed a grand slam event since making his US Open debut in 2019.
“I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there,” Sinner said.
Sinner’s victory at Wimbledon marked the only tournament he played this summer after blowing a two-set lead in a shock French Open second-round defeat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Sinner suffered from dizziness and low energy amid searing heat in Paris and did not return to the courts until he appeared at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the 2025 US Open final, has announced that he will return to the courts for the 2026 competition after missing four months through a wrist injury, which saw him miss both the French Open and Wimbledon.
Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, will now take the top seed at the US Open, although Sinner will comfortably hold on at the top of the ATP world rankings despite missing the tournament.
