Jannik Sinner is out of the US Open, while the world number one makes a big statement.
World tennis number one Jannik Sinner has decided to skip next week’s US Open. He’s been out since Wimbledon because of a knee injury. At Wimbledon, he defended his title and won his first major of 2026.
The Italian, who won the US Open in 2024 and lost to his rival Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 final, shared that he won’t be going for his sixth grand slam win at Flushing Meadows this year.
“Even though I’ve been working hard with my team and doctors, we had to make the tough call that I can’t play at the US Open this time,” the 25-year-old said on Instagram. “We were back on court in Monte Carlo recently but realized I still need more time to heal my right knee.”
He added, “I’m really sad and disappointed because New York means a lot to me. I was excited to return and play in front of amazing fans.”
Sinner’s absence means he won’t win two grand slams in a row for the third year running. In 2025, he took the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and reached the finals of the US and French Opens, losing both to Alcaraz.
Since summer 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz have traded places as world number one. Sinner has held the top spot since April and is one of only nine men who’ve spent more weeks as number one than him.
Earlier this year, Sinner made it to the Australian Open semi-finals but didn’t win at the French Open, which is still missing from his list of titles. He won Wimbledon again in July after beating Alexander Zverev but has had trouble with his fitness recently.
Reports say Sinner has been dealing with pain and swelling in his right knee. Journalist Richard Crivelli from Gazzetta dello Sport said Sinner went to Turin for shockwave therapy to help his injury.
He also missed tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati because of the knee problem. When he pulled out of Cincinnati, he said he wasn’t “ready to compete” even after working with his medical team.
Sinner’s news came just after it was announced that defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will play at the US Open despite his own wrist injury. Alcaraz, the world number two, hasn’t played in four months and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.