Jannik Sinner to miss US Open tennis major due to knee injury

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the US Open, unable to recover from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since winning the Wimbledon title.

Key points

• The 25-year-old Italian informed social media on Friday that he won't be ready when the main draw begins on August 30.
• Sinner was the 2024 US Open champion and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's final.
• That concluded Sinner's title reign after beating Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the 2024 final.
• It will be the first time Sinner has missed a Grand Slam tournament since making his major debut at the US Open in 2019.
• He had a stunning collapse at the French Open, blowing a two-set lead while struggling in the heat in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Sinner beat Alexander Zverev last month for his second straight title at the All England Club, but then pulled out of the hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as a warm-up for the US Open.

For context, the 25-year-old Italian informed social media on Friday that he won't be ready when the main draw begins on August 30.

"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, " Sinner posted on X.

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 matter.

As New York has a special place in my heart, "I'm obviously particularly sad and disappointed. I was particularly much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there."

Alcaraz posted on social media on Thursday that he would be ready to play in New York after being out of action since April since of a right wrist injury.

In practice, the rivalry between them has dominated men's tennis over recent years and they met in the last three Grand Slam finals last year. Alcaraz won the most recent with his four-set victory in New York.

Sinner is 44-3 with six titles this year. He had a stunning collapse at the French Open, blowing a two-set lead while struggling in the heat in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. He then sat out until Wimbledon, where his victory offered him five Grand Slam titles.

Taken together, the developments around jannik Sinner to miss US Open tennis major due to knee injury point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.