The world’s top-ranked man is not going to New York. Sinner confirmed on Instagram on Friday that he has pulled out of the 2026 US Open with the right knee injury 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 wrote.
“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.”
Sinner missed the Toronto Masters and the Cincinnati Open while receiving medical care in Milan after his Wimbledon triumph. Short practice sessions in Monte Carlo this week convinced him and his team he was not ready for a two-week Grand Slam on hard courts.
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“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart,” he added.
“I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”
Zverev inherits the top seed
Alexander Zverev is the immediate beneficiary. With Sinner’s ranking points frozen and the German climbing from third to second in the ATP Rankings on Monday, Zverev takes over the top seed at Flushing Meadows.
Carlos Alcaraz, the man who dethroned Sinner in last September’s US Open final and the defending champion in New York, slides in at No 2. Félix Auger-Aliassime moves up to No 3, Novak Djokovic to No 4 and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli to No 5.
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Alcaraz brings the recent form
Alcaraz arrives with the clearest recent form on the surface. His four-set win over Sinner last September was his second US Open crown, following a 2022 title that first took him to world No 1.
Djokovic sits on 24 majors, the last of them at the 2023 US Open. The 25th that would take him clear of Margaret Court has eluded him through two full seasons, and every hard-court Slam he enters is now framed as a race against time.
No return date from Sinner
The men’s and women’s draws will be revealed on Thursday 27 August, with the 128-player main draws beginning at Flushing Meadows on Sunday 30 August. Sinner has not put a date on his return.
