Jannik Sinner Out of 2026 US Open with Knee Injury, World No. 1 Explains Decision in Statement

Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2026 U.S. Open due to a knee injury.

The U.S. Open officially announced Sinner's withdrawal from the tournament and Carlos Taberner will be added to the main draw.

In a statement on X, Sinner explained the right knee injury that has kept him out since winning Wimbledon has yet not recovered to the point that he is ready to play in a full tournament.

Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open that began on Aug. 2 due to what he described as "health reasons." He was also scheduled to take part in the Cincinnati Open, but wound up skipping the event to rest and recover.

The last time Sinner played was on July 12 when he defeated Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon gentlemen's final to win his second straight title at the All England Club.

Sinner, currently the No. 1 player in the ATP rankings, would have been the top seed at the U.S. Open when the draw is announced on Aug. 27.

Instead, the honor could go to Carlos Alcaraz in his return to competition. The 23-year-old announced on Thursday he will play in the U.S. Open after missing four months due to a wrist injury.

Alcaraz last played at the Barcelona Open when he had to withdraw prior to a second-round match against Tomáš Macháč. He is looking for his second Grand Slam tournament victory of the season after winning the Australian Open in February.

This will be the first major tournament Sinner hasn't played since the 2019 French Open when he was still playing primarily on the Challenger Tour.

Sinner reached the final at the U.S. Open in each of the previous two years. He won in 2024 by defeating Taylor Fritz, then lost to Alcaraz in four sets last year.

The 2026 U.S. Open begins on Aug. 30 and runs through Sept. 13.