Jannik Sinner will not play at the 2026 US Open. The world number one announced the news today in a post on his social media accounts, explaining that his right knee, which has been troubling him for several weeks, still needs more time to recover. The decision comes after several days of training in Monte Carlo, during which Sinner and his medical team realised that the condition of his knee would not allow him to compete in a Grand Slam tournament.
In his post, Sinner said that he and his team had been forced to make “the difficult decision” to withdraw from New York. He said he was saddened to miss an event that means a great deal to him, having been very much looking forward to returning to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows, where he won his only US Open title in 2024.
Sinner has been dealing with the problem in his right knee since mid-August. On 10 August he had already withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters 1000, having also missed the tournament in Montreal, and in the following days underwent a course of shockwave therapy at J Medical in Turin. He has not played an official match since then: his last appearance came in the Wimbledon final in July, when he defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev to claim the fifth Grand Slam title of his career.
What is the US Open?
The US Open is the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the tennis season, following the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. It is played on the hard courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, in the New York borough of Queens. The main draw begins on Sunday 30 August and the tournament concludes on 13 September.
Sinner’s absence reshapes the men’s draw. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, returns after several months out with a wrist injury and becomes the number one seed; Alexander Zverev, winner of the French Open in June, is seeded second; Novak Djokovic is chasing the 25th Grand Slam title of his career. Among the American contenders, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, runner-up in 2024, will be hoping to challenge for the title.
What Sinner’s withdrawal changes
Sinner’s absence reshapes the men’s draw. Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, returns after several months out with a wrist injury and becomes the number one seed; Alexander Zverev, winner of the French Open in June, is seeded second; Novak Djokovic is chasing the 25th Grand Slam title of his career. Among the American contenders, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, runner-up in 2024, will be hoping to challenge for the title.
Who is Jannik Sinner?
Sinner was born on 16 August 2001 in San Candido, in South Tyrol, into a German-speaking family; his father Hanspeter and mother Siglinde ran a mountain lodge in the Fiscalina Valley for many years. Before committing to tennis full-time at the age of 13, he had competed in alpine skiing. A professional since 2018, on 10 June 2024 he became the first Italian tennis player in history to reach world number one in the ATP rankings.
He has won five Grand Slam titles in his career: two Australian Opens, in 2024 and 2025, two Wimbledon titles, in 2025 and 2026, and one US Open, in 2024, when he defeated American Taylor Fritz in the final. In 2025 he returned to the US Open final, losing to Alcaraz in four sets.
