World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2026 US Open after a persistent right knee injury that has not healed sufficiently for competition. The Italian star announced the decision on Friday via a post on X. He explained that despite intensive work with his team and medical staff and recent practice sessions back on court in Monte Carlo, he confirmed he still needs more recovery time. This will be the first Grand Slam Sinner will miss since his debut in 2019. He has not played a competitive match since July 12 when he successfully defended his Wimbledon title by beating Alexander Zverev in the final for his fifth career major.
Sinner wrote “I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”
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. We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I… pic.twitter.com/9eoYS29jpO
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 21, 2026
The knee problem forced him to skip the Canadian Open and withdraw from the Cincinnati Open. After further assessments and on-court testing in Monaco his team made a decision that he is not ready for the US Open. Sinner’s absence removes the top seed and one of the tournament’s strongest contenders from the season’s final Grand Slam, which begins main-draw play on August 30. This news comes a day after rival Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his own return to US open following a lengthy wrist injury layoff.
Sinner's Absence Opens up the US Open Men's Draw
The US Open has been a very successful slam for Sinner. He won the 2024 title with a straight-sets victory over Taylor Fritz in the final, becoming the first Italian man to win the US Open. In 2025 he reached the final again and lost to Alcaraz in four sets. Career-wise at this slam he holds a strong 23-6 record with deep runs in most appearances. Overall, the world No. 1 has won five Grand Slam titles including Australian Open (2024 and 2025), US Open (2024), and Wimbledon (2025 and 2026). His only major final losses came against Alcaraz at the 2025 French Open and 2025 US Open.
Sinner entered the second half of 2026 in excellent form. He had a 44-3 win loss record and won six titles, including a near-sweep of the early Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome) before lifting the Wimbledon trophy. An early exit at the French Open was the only failure for him before the knee issue emerged after London. His team now plans to keep him in Europe for continued recovery, targeting a return during the Asian swing in Beijing and Shanghai. The withdrawal leaves the US Open men’s draw more open. Carlos Alcaraz who beat Sinner in the 2025 US Open final will head into the slam as one of the leading favorites.
