World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2026 US Open because of a right knee injury, announcing the decision on Friday, August 21, just over a week before the tournament's main draw begins.
What 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," Sinner wrote on Instagram, saying he needs additional recovery time. He had returned to on-court training in Monte Carlo in the days before the announcement but determined he wasn't ready.
A rare absence at the top
Sinner enters the injury layoff having gone 44-3 with six titles this season, including a successful Wimbledon defense, and holds a roughly 5,000-point lead atop the ATP rankings. This marks the first Grand Slam he has missed since making his major debut at the 2019 US Open, and makes him just the second world No. 1 to skip the tournament since ATP rankings began in 1973, joining Pete Sampras in 1999.
Who benefits
Sinner's absence reshapes the top of the draw: Alexander Zverev moves up to become the tournament's top seed, with Carlos Alcaraz, last year's runner-up to Sinner, and Novak Djokovic also positioned to benefit. Alcaraz separately announced his own return at the tournament from a four-month wrist injury, adding another storyline to a US Open now missing its top-ranked player.
