Jannik Sinner will not play the US Open 2026. The world number one confirmed this Friday his withdrawal from the last Grand Slam of the season as he has not recovered from the injury to his right knee that already forced him to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters 1,000. The ATP has officially confirmed his withdrawal.
The absence of the Italian changes the tournament's landscape just a day after Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his return to competition. The Murcian will return after more than four months away from the courts due to the injury to his right wrist that he suffered in April.
Sinner is not recovering from his right knee
Sinner had been trying for several weeks to make it to New York in time. Problems with his right knee had already prevented him from participating in Cincinnati, where he explained that he was still working with his medical team but was not yet ready to compete.
His goal then was to recover for the US Open. The Italian resumed training and tested himself on the court to check the response of the joint, but he has ultimately ruled out participating in New York.
"I am very disappointed to have to miss the US Open," Sinner explained in the statement collected by the ATP. The tennis player assures that, despite the work done with his medical team and his attempts to return to training, he needs more time to recover.
The number one has not played since Wimbledon
Sinner has not competed since Wimbledon, where he won the title. His season up to that point had left a record of 44 wins and three losses and six titles, according to data published this Friday by the ATP.
The Italian was facing the US tour with the intention of competing in Cincinnati and subsequently the US Open, but the knee injury has frustrated both plans.
His withdrawal leaves the tournament without the current number one in the ATP ranking and without one of the protagonists of the rivalry that has marked the last Grand Slams.
Alcaraz will be at the US Open
The contrast with Carlos Alcaraz is particularly significant. The Spaniard confirmed this Thursday that he is ready to compete in the US Open, ending an absence of more than four months.
Alcaraz has not played an official match since April. After winning his first match in Barcelona, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury to his right wrist that subsequently kept him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
The Murcian has spent the last few weeks progressively increasing the load of his training before deciding whether to travel to the United States.
He finally announced his return with a video published alongside journalist Fabrizio Romano: "I'm back. Here we go!".
There will be no rematch of the 2025 final
Sinner's injury also eliminates the possibility of repeating one of the great events of last season.
Alcaraz and Sinner played the final of the 2025 US Open, which ended with a victory for the Spaniard. That triumph allowed Alcaraz to win the title in New York and then regain the world number one.
Sinner subsequently regained the top position in the ranking this season. Now he will arrive at the last Grand Slam as number one, but he will not be able to defend his chances on the court.
Alcaraz, for his part, will return directly to one of the four majors after several months without official competition. He will defend the title won in 2025, although he will arrive in New York without having played the previous Masters 1,000 of the North American tour.
Sinner's withdrawal adds to that of Alejandro Davidovich, who will also not be in New York due to his back problems.