Jannik Sinner officially announced he was withdrawing from the 2026 U.S. Open on Friday, making it three consecutive grand slams in which one of the top two players in men's tennis -- Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz -- sat out due to injury.
Sinner posted to social media on Friday morning that he was not going to be able to play in New York next week due to an ongoing knee issue.
"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 wrote. "We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue. I'm 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."
Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Open earlier this month due to an injury to his right knee. In his efforts to ramp up in preparation for the U.S. Open, he realized he was not healthy enough to give it a go. Sinner's 2026 major season will come to a close with one grand slam title at Wimbledon, which was also the only grand slam final he reached.
Sinner's withdrawal from the U.S. Open is a disappointing end to a frustrating year for the two top stars in men's tennis.
Last year, Alcaraz and Sinner delivered three instant-classics in the finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. This year, Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a wrist injury and Sinner will now miss the U.S. Open due to his knee, guaranteeing that fans go a full year without seeing the two dominant forces in men's tennis meet in a grand slam match.
In Sinner's absence, Alcaraz will take the No. 1 seed in the year's final major in his first start since April, with French Open champion Alexander Zverev moving into the No. 2 seed in the draw.
With Sinner out and Alcaraz shaking off the rust from nearly four months off the court, there may not be a better opportunity for one of the top American stars to snap the 23-year drought since the last American man won a grand slam title (Andy Roddick, 2003 U.S. Open).
