World No. 1 player, former Cincinnati Open champion Jannik Sinner withdraws from tournament

Kurt KnueMASON, Ohio —

Both the defending champion and runner-up of last year’s Cincinnati Open men’s singles final have now withdrawn from the upcoming tournament in Mason.

Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 men’s tennis singles player in the world, announced on Sunday that he would be pulling out from the Cincinnati Open due to injury.

“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner said in a statement. “My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet. I’m very disappointed not to be able to play in Cincinnati and wish Bob and his whole team a great and successful event. I can’t wait to be back next year and I’m now focusing on getting ready for the US Open.”

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The Italian tennis star just recently came off a championship win at Wimbledon, where he defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets. He has also won six different 1000-level tournaments since last competing in the Cincinnati Open.

As a result, the 24-year-old was the early heavy favorite to win the Cincinnati Open after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s men’s singles tournament final. The match only lasted 22 minutes, however, with Sinner being forced to retire early due to illness.

Alcaraz, who is the No. 2 ranked player in the world, also recently announced that he would not return to Mason this year as he continues to battle a wrist injury that has kept him sidelined for months.

Sinner had previously won the Cincinnati Open in 2024, defeating American Francis Tiafoe in two straight sets.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, former Cincinnati Open finalists Jasmine Paolini and Karolina Muchova also both announced this week that they are continuing to recover from recent injuries that they suffered on the court, forcing them on Friday to pull out of the competition.

The Cincinnati Open’s qualifying rounds begin on Aug. 11, with final matches scheduled to be played on Aug. 23.