Jannik Sinner will miss the US Open after he withdrew from the final Grand Slam of the season because of a persistent right knee injury.
The Italian made the announcement on Friday, ending hopes that he would repeat his 2024 title win in New York. Sinner, who won his fifth Grand Slam at Wimbledon last month, has not played since beating Alexander Zverev in the final at the All England Club.
“Despite the hard work done with my team and the medical staff, we have had to make the difficult decision not to participate in this year’s US Open,” Sinner said. The 25-year-old had been undergoing regular medical checks between Milan and JMedical, the medical facility operated by Juventus in Turin, as he recovered from the knee problem.
“We returned to training in Monte Carlo in the last few days and realized we needed more time to recover from the problem with my right knee,” Sinner said.
The injury had already forced him to miss the Canadian Open in Montreal and the Cincinnati Open as he attempted to recover in time for New York.
“New York holds a special place in my heart”
Sinner admitted that withdrawing was particularly disappointing because of his affection for the tournament and its famously noisy crowds.
“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York holds a special place in my heart,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to return to play in that electrifying atmosphere, in front of a fantastic crowd.”
Sinner won his first US Open title in 2024, beating American Taylor Fritz in the final. He reached the final again last year but lost to Carlos Alcaraz. His absence means the men’s tournament will be without the player who has been the dominant force in 2026. Sinner has a 44-3 record this season and has won six titles, including Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Wimbledon.
He will now remain in Europe to continue his rehabilitation with his medical and athletic training teams.
His target is to return for the Asian swing of the ATP Tour, including the tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai.
Alcaraz becomes the man to beat
Sinner’s withdrawal dramatically changes the men’s draw.
Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Sinner in last year’s US Open final, confirmed shortly before the Italian’s announcement that he would return to competition in New York after more than four months out with a wrist injury.
The Spaniard, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, has not played since April and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon. His return therefore comes with questions about his match fitness, but he now enters the tournament as one of its leading contenders.
Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are among the other leading contenders. Zverev won the French Open this year.
The withdrawal also means that one of the defining rivalries in men’s tennis will have to wait. Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the Grand Slam landscape in recent years, but injuries have prevented them from facing each other at any of the majors in 2026.
The 2026 US Open runs from August 23 to September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. The singles main draw begins on August 30, with the men’s final scheduled for September 13.
