Knee injury rules world No.1 Sinner out of US Open

Jannik Sinner will miss the US Open with a right knee injury.

The world No.1 has not played a match since beating Alexander Zverev last month to successfully defend his Wimbledon title, missing the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati.

The news comes a day after his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, who the Italian lost to in the final in New York 12 months ago, revealed he will make his comeback from four months out with a wrist injury at Flushing Meadows.

Sinner’s absence is perhaps a fillip for Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur who could have met the Italian as early as the quarter-final stage, depending on the draw, and has lost all 13 matches between them.

Former world No.4 Jack Draper, a US Open semi-finalist in 2024, when he faced Sinner, is also out, his troublesome arm injury continuing to dog the Briton who has missed all four slams this year.

Sinner said: “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 still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“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.”

It will be the first time the 25-year-old has missed a grand slam since making his debut at the US Open in 2019 and will further focus attention on the physical demands of the tennis calendar.

Sinner is the sixth players to withdraw from the men’s singles since the entry list was announced, while six women have also pulled out.

His absence means he and Alcaraz, who faced each other in three successive major finals last year, will only have both played one major – the Australian Open – in 2026, with the Spaniard sitting out the French Open and Wimbledon.

Zverev will be the top seed in New York but Sinner’s top ranking is not under threat, with the Italian just over 5,000 points clear of his nearest rival.