Italy’s Jannik Sinner hits a return to Norway’s Casper Ruud during the men’s final of the ATP Rome Open at Foro Italico in Rome on May 17, 2026. Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open last week because of a knee injury.
“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. I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart,” Sinner said Friday in a social media
post
.
The Italian, who won his first U.S. Open title in 2024 with a straight-set victory over Taylor Fritz, has not competed in tournaments since his Wimbledon victory in July.
Sinner, who turned 25 a week ago, withdrew from the
Montreal Open
in July, saying he needed to prioritize his health.
A couple of weeks ago, he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open, saying his right knee was bothering him despite working very hard with his medical team, but added that he was focused on getting ready for the U.S. Open.
“I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there,” he said in his post on
Friday
.
Former world No. 4 Jack Draper and Holger Rune will also miss the tournament while nursing injuries that have kept them off the tour for significant time.
Alcaraz’s Return
All eyes turn to the world No. 2,
Carlos Alcaraz
, who just announced he will return to play at the U.S. Open after nursing a right-wrist injury that sidelined him for four months.
“Here we go,” the two-time and reigning U.S. Open champion said in an Instagram post announcing his return.
Alcaraz, now the tournament’s top seed, has a chance to become the first man since 2008 to defend his title at Flushing Meadows in Queens.
The Spaniard beat Sinner in four sets in last year’s final to cap off a dominant run where the 23-year-old dropped only a single set all tournament.
The path to an eighth Grand Slam title could become a lot simpler with Sinner, his greatest rival, out of the draw as the two superstars met at three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments last year, with Alcaraz winning two of them.
Alcaraz became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam—winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a career—when he took down Novak Djokovic in Melbourne in February after the 39-year-old outlasted Sinner in a five-set battle.
Djokovic, a four-time champion in New York, is expected to compete despite health concerns during a second-round upset in Cincinnati.
The Serb lost in straight sets to Alcaraz in last year’s semifinals, but continues to chase a 25th Grand Slam in what may be one of his last chances.
U.S. Open officials said the draw will be released on Thursday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
