World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has announced that he will not take part in this year’s US Open after sustaining a right‑knee injury that has forced him to sit out of competition for several weeks. The Italian star, who has been absent from the tour since his triumph at Wimbledon in July, confirmed that his body still needs more time to heal before he can safely return to the demanding conditions of a Grand Slam. Sinner’s last match was the Wimbledon final, where he secured his fifth major title by defeating Alexander Zverev in a hard‑fought three‑set battle.
The victory marked a successful title defence at the All England Club and cemented his status as one of the sport’s dominant forces. However, the physical toll of that win proved to be significant. Within days of the Wimbledon final, Sinner began to experience discomfort in his right knee, an issue that was later diagnosed as a strain requiring careful management. In the weeks that followed, Sinner missed both of the late‑summer Masters 1000 events in Canada (the Rogers Cup) and Cincinnati.
He initially withdrew from the Cincinnati tournament specifically to protect his knee and to give himself the best possible chance of arriving in New York fully fit. Despite intensive rehabilitation sessions with his medical team and a brief return to the courts in Monte Carlo, the player and his support staff concluded that competing at the US Open would pose too great a risk to his long‑term health and performance. In a heartfelt post on social media, the 2024 US Open champion wrote: "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." Sinner’s withdrawal arrives just a day after his chief rival, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, announced his own comeback from a four‑month wrist injury layoff.
Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon final a year earlier, will return to the tour with the aim of defending his US Open title. The Italian’s exit opens a spot in the men’s singles draw for Spain’s Carlos Taberner, while Alcaraz now stands as the highest‑ranked player still in contention despite his recent health concerns.
Alcaraz is set to chase his third US Open crown, having first won the tournament in 2022 and then again in 2023, which propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking. He will begin his title defence on August 30, with live coverage on Sky Sports. Former British No.
1 Annabel Croft, speaking to Sky’s Gigi Salmon, described Sinner’s decision as a "big shock" and highlighted the physical demands placed on modern players. "We knew he hadn't played the last couple of events and he was resting, but the whole idea was to get ready for the US Open.
It's a big blow to tennis because it feels like a long time ago that we had Alcaraz and Sinner in the events together and it feels like a great loss," Croft said. Croft went on to explain how the relentless tour schedule can wear down even the fittest athletes.
She referenced Alcaraz’s extraordinary run earlier in the year, when he captured five consecutive Masters 1000 titles—a feat rarely seen in the Open Era. "When you think at the beginning of the year when he won those five back‑to‑back Masters 1000 titles, which was absolutely exceptional and a phenomenal achievement, but when he got to Roland‑Garros there was not much left in the tank and it cost him perhaps the French Open title. Then we saw him rebound at Wimbledon, which he built with each match, but once again his body has let him down. For all of these players it’s such a difficult balance.
You keep trying to play the tour, play the mandatory events but you also want to peak at the Grand Slams and it’s not quite happening at the moment." Former world No. 40 Ryan Harrison echoed the sentiment, noting that the risk of aggravating the injury outweighed the potential reward of playing in New York. "Sinner feels the risk of playing the US Open is a little bit too much," Harrison said. The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz has become one of the most compelling storylines in contemporary tennis.
Croft remarked that it has been a while since the two have been placed in the same draw, and fans have eagerly awaited their head‑to‑head clashes. "They have become the new rivalry that everyone wants to see.
I really don’t mind watching the same players compete all the time because those are the matches you really look forward to. It’s like watching a big boxing fight. You want to see the very best go up against each other, but now it’s an opportunity for the next category down to shine. It’s interesting because it’s a bit of a transitional period at the moment.
Who knows what will happen when we get them all back together." Sinner’s absence will inevitably reshape the dynamics of the US Open draw. With the top seed out, the tournament’s seeding will be adjusted, and players such as Novak Djokovic will find themselves in a more favorable position.
Djokovic, for instance, needs both Flavio Cobolli and Taylor Fritz not to reach the Cincinnati final in order to secure the fourth seed at Flushing Meadows. Beyond the immediate impact on the draw, Sinner’s withdrawal underscores a broader conversation about player welfare, scheduling, and the physical toll of a packed calendar. The modern tennis season demands participation in a series of high‑intensity events across three continents, often leaving little recovery time between tournaments.
While the sport’s governing bodies have introduced measures such as mandatory rest periods and protected rankings, athletes like Sinner and Alcaraz continue to grapple with injuries that can derail even the most carefully planned seasons. Fans can still enjoy live coverage of the US Open on Sky Sports beginning August 30, with additional streaming options available through NOW and other platforms. The tournament will feature a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars, each eager to seize the opportunity presented by the reshuffled field. As the tennis world watches, the hope remains that both Sinner and Alcaraz will return fully fit for future Grand Slams, continuing the rivalry that has captivated audiences worldwide.