World No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner, the 25-year-old Italian and defending 2024 US Open champion, has officially withdrawn from the 2026 US Open due to ongoing issues with his right knee [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].
Sinner has not played competitively since capturing his second consecutive Wimbledon title on July 12, 2026. He missed the French Open after a mid-tournament collapse linked to injury and withdrew from both the Cincinnati Open and Canadian Open earlier this month as he attempted to prepare for the US Open [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12].
After recent practice sessions in Monte Carlo, Sinner's medical team and camp decided he requires more time to recover from his knee problem, leading to today's withdrawal [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12]. Sinner expressed sadness over the decision, saying, "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" [1, 4, 9, 11, 12].
Sinner, who has won five Grand Slam titles since his major debut at the 2019 US Open, including Wimbledon this year, leaves the US Open field without its top-ranked player [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. His absence is expected to ease the path for top rival Carlos Alcaraz, who returns to competition after a four-month wrist injury layoff and aims for his eighth Grand Slam title [4, 5, 9, 11, 12].
The 2026 US Open is scheduled to begin on August 23 (some sources list August 30 for the main draw) and run through September 13 at Flushing Meadows, New York. The men's and women's singles champions will each earn a record $5.5 million [2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12].
