Jannik Sinner will not be chasing a second US Open title this year. The world No. 1 confirmed his withdrawal on August 21, citing the right knee issue that has kept him off the tour since Wimbledon.

“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,” the Italian said in his statement.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.”

The tendon, and the therapy behind it

The medical picture behind the withdrawal has proved more specific than the announcement itself. Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, as reported by Tennis365, placed Sinner at the JMedical clinic in Turin last week to complete a course of shockwave therapy on the inflamed area of his right knee.

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Testing has continued in Turin this week. Spanish outlet Puntodebreak reported on August 25 that Sinner is alternating light court sessions with medical monitoring to track how the tendon is responding, with the patellar tendon identified in the Italian medical coverage as the affected area.

No surgery, October the target

The most concrete update on severity has come from Sinner’s own camp. A member of his team told BBC Sport, as relayed by Yahoo Sports, that the injury does not require surgery. His team plans to keep rehabilitation in Europe and is aiming for a return during the Asian hard-court swing that begins in Beijing at the end of September and continues in Shanghai in October.

Sinner has not played a competitive match since the Wimbledon final on July 12, the last of a stretch that also cost him starts at the National Bank Open in Canada and the Cincinnati Masters. He won the US Open in 2024, Yahoo Sports noted, and this year’s edition had been on his schedule until the closing weeks of the summer.

Zverev inherits the top seed

Sinner’s absence has reshuffled the men’s draw at Flushing Meadows. Alexander Zverev, the 2026 Roland Garros champion, moves up to No. 1 seed in Sinner’s place, Tennis365 reported after the seeding cutoff. Carlos Alcaraz is No. 2, Felix Auger-Aliassime No. 3 and Novak Djokovic No. 4.

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The world No. 1 ranking itself is not in immediate jeopardy. Sinner leads the ATP standings by more than 5,000 points, according to Sports Illustrated, a cushion built during a 2026 season that ran uninterrupted until his Wimbledon final win over Zverev.

The US Open main draw begins on August 30 in New York.

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