Jannik Sinner Injury: Withdraws From US Open

Jannik Sinner injury news closed the door on New York. The world No. 1 withdrew Friday, Aug. 21, announcing it on X and Instagram, because a right knee that has sat him since Wimbledon is not ready for a two-week Slam. The Associated Press, ESPN, Sky Sports, and Al Jazeera all carried the same statement. He is 25. The main draw starts Aug. 30. He will not be in it. It is his first missed major since his US Open debut in 2019.

Sinner beat Alexander Zverev last month for a second straight Wimbledon and a fifth Slam, then pulled out of Montreal and Cincinnati. He tried the court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and still needed time. That is the whole medical brief he gave. No surgery talk in the public note. Just a knee that would not take a Flushing Meadows load.

Jannik Sinner injury: the statement, and the first missed Slam

"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," Sinner wrote. "We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue." ESPN had the Instagram version of the same lines. AP printed the X post.

He called New York a special place and said he was sad and disappointed. He won the 2024 US Open. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 final. Alcaraz is coming back from a wrist that cost him four months, including Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, and posted Thursday that he is ready. The rivalry that has owned the last three Slam finals in 2025 now has one side missing in New York.

What the field looks like without the No. 1

ESPN noted Sinner is only the second ATP No. 1 to miss the US Open since rankings began in 1973. Pete Sampras sat 1999 with a lower back. Sinner's No. 1 ranking is not under threat, ESPN wrote, with a gap of just over 5,000 points. Zverev becomes the top seed. The draw is still a week out. Arthur Fils just won Cincinnati and walks into that field as a seeded name. Sinner walks out of it.

AP had him 44-3 with six titles this year, a French Open collapse in the second round against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, then the Wimbledon hold. That is the 2026 tape. The knee is the reason the tape stops before New York. Monte Carlo practice was the last test. It was not enough. Aug. 30 will open without the defending Wimbledon champion and without the 2024 US Open champion.

Jannik Sinner injury FAQ

Why did Jannik Sinner withdraw from the US Open? A right knee injury that has kept him out since he won Wimbledon. He said Friday he still needs more time after trying the court in Monte Carlo, per AP, ESPN, Sky Sports, and Al Jazeera.

When did Jannik Sinner last play? The Wimbledon final, where he beat Alexander Zverev for a second straight title and a fifth Slam. He then missed Montreal and Cincinnati.

Is this Sinner's first missed Grand Slam? Yes, since his US Open debut in 2019. He is 25. He won the 2024 US Open and lost the 2025 final to Alcaraz. The 2026 main draw begins Aug. 30.