Jannik Sinner will miss the US Open due to a right knee injury, the world No. 1 announced Friday on social media, ending the Italian’s bid to defend the title he won at Flushing Meadows in 2024.
He said in an Instagram post that he and his team had made the difficult decision after returning to the court in Monte Carlo over the previous few days and realizing he still needs more time to recover. He said he is very sad and disappointed, noting that New York has a special place in his heart and that he was looking forward to playing in front of the fans there.
The withdrawal means he has not played a competitive match since defeating Alexander Zverev last month to successfully defend his Wimbledon title. He had already missed the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati. This will be the first time Sinner has missed a Grand Slam since his US Open debut in 2019.
The state of the men’s draw
Sinner’s absence opens the top of the men’s draw significantly. Zverev, who was beaten by Tommy Paul in the Cincinnati quarterfinals this week, will be the top seed at the US Open. His world No. 1 ranking is not under immediate threat, as he holds more than 5,000 points of separation over his nearest rival.
The timing creates an unusual dynamic at the top of the men’s game. Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in last year’s US Open final, announced Thursday that he will make his comeback from a four-month absence caused by a wrist injury that caused him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. Alcaraz will enter New York as the defending champion but without match play since before the clay court season.
That means the two men who have dominated men’s Grand Slam tennis over the past two years will both enter the US Open as something other than their usual selves. Alcaraz is returning from a lengthy absence, and Sinner will not be there at all.
He was the sixth player to withdraw from the men’s singles draw since the entry list was announced, and six women have also pulled out.
What Sinner’s year looks like
Sinner successfully defended his Wimbledon title last month, which gave him a second consecutive Wimbledon championship and added to the US Open title he won in 2024. The knee injury that kept him from competing in Canada and Cincinnati and now forces him out of the US Open is the most significant health setback of his career to date.
His world ranking remains intact because the points gap to his nearest competitor is large enough that missing the US Open does not put the No. 1 position at risk, regardless of who wins in New York.
What it means for the US Open
The absence of the world No. 1 and defending champion at any Grand Slam fundamentally changes the event. The men’s draw, which begins its main draw Aug. 30, will run without the player who has been the dominant force in men’s tennis for the past year.
Zverev, who won the French Open this year before losing to Sinner at Wimbledon, is the top seed but has been inconsistent on hard courts. The field below him includes Alcaraz, who brings uncertainty about his match fitness, and a group of players who have seen the door open for a first or second Grand Slam title.
For Sinner, the US Open is a loss of both the title defense and the 2,000 ranking points he earned in 2024. The knee recovery timeline will determine whether he can return before the year ends.
