{"id":60397,"date":"2026-08-30T14:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T14:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/60397\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T14:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T14:01:12","slug":"why-jannik-sinner-is-missing-the-2026-u-s-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/60397\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Jannik Sinner Is Missing the 2026 U.S. Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

Jannik Sinner, the no. 1 men\u2019s tennis player on tour, is having a very strange season. Just last month, he won the Wimbledon championships<\/a>, beating French Open champion Alexander Zverev in a decisive four-set final. Less than two months earlier though, he lost the French Open in the second round, his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2023. Now, perhaps most shockingly of all, he\u2019s skipping the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam of the year.<\/p>\n

To tennis enthusiasts, though, there were early indications that something was amiss for the Italian. He didn\u2019t play any of the hard court warm-up tournaments: Washington, the Canadian Open, and Cincinnati. Ahead of Cincinnati, where he reached the final last year, he announced that he was rehabbing a knee injury<\/a>. On August 21st, Sinner confirmed his \u201cright knee issue,\u201d and officially announced his withdrawal from the tournament through an Instagram post:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEven 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 U.S. Open this year. 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. I\u2019m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there. <\/p>\n

An exact diagnosis hasn\u2019t been shared, but given his recent victory at Wimbledon, it seems likely that Sinner was injured during practice rather than in competition. This isn\u2019t the first health concern for Sinner, who was born in the snowy region of South Tyrol.<\/a> In a number of recent tournaments including the French Open, he seems to have wilted under the heat<\/a>, though an exact cause hasn\u2019t been publicly shared. Still, this will mark the first time that the 25-year-old will miss a Grand Slam since his U.S. Open debut in 2019. He\u2019s also won five Grand Slam titles since 2023, and been the top-ranked men\u2019s player since April.<\/p>\n

\"DayClive Brunskill\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jannik Sinner with the 2026 Wimbledon trophy.<\/p>\n

Ironically, though Sinner\u2019s had the sort of year that most players can only dream of, it\u2019s been a very rocky road. He began the year losing to then 38-year-old Novak Djkocovic in the Australian Open semi-finals. He bounced back quickly winning five Masters 1000 tour level events<\/a> back to back: Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Madrid Open, and Rome. Then came the second round of the French Open, where, at 2 sets and 5 games up, his body seemed to give out in the 92\u00b0 heat. His loss to No. 56 Juan Manuel Cer\u00fandolo<\/a> shocked tennis fans around the world. He then reportedly did some health testing in Italy, and, when he reappeared in England a few weeks later, he was strong enough to win Wimbledon. Then, as he withdrew from Cincinnati on August 9th, the first reports that his knee was injured appeared online an in the media. Now he\u2019s formally withdrawn, though an exact diagnosis has not been given.<\/p>\n

Since April, he\u2019s also been missing his most famous rival and friend, Carlos Alcaraz, who sustained a right forearm injury in April<\/a>. Alcaraz, however, shocked many when\u2014after also missing the hard court season\u2014he decided to play the U.S. Open, beginning with Mixed Doubles competition<\/a>. He and Serena Williams won their first match yesterday. Sinner was also slated to play in that tournament, partnering with the No. 1 women\u2019s doubles player Kate\u0159ina Siniakov\u00e1. (Sinner withdrew from that tournament, too.)<\/p>\n

\"2024Sarah Stier\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jannik Sinner with the U.S. Open championship trophy.<\/p>\n

Before this most recent announcement, Sinner was the undisputed favorite for the title, which he won in 2024. And with this absence, along with Alcaraz\u2019s continued uncertainty\u2014the men\u2019s competition is more open, and potentially more exciting\u2014than it has been for years.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Dorothy Scarborough (she\/her) is the assistant to the Editor in Chief of Town & Country and Elle Decor.\u00a0<\/p>\n