Jannik Sinner will not defend his place at the top of the US Open draw. The world No. 1 announced Friday that a persistent right knee injury will keep him out of the year's final Grand Slam, ending a streak that dated back to his major debut and reshuffling the men's field just as the tournament's fan week opens in Flushing Meadows.
It is the first Grand Slam of Sinner's career that he has been forced to skip since he broke into the majors at the US Open in 2019. The 25-year-old Italian had already pulled out of the National Bank Open in Canada and the Cincinnati Open earlier this month with the same right knee complaint, receiving treatment from his medical team in Milan before attempting to test the joint in practice sessions in Monte Carlo this week.
That test did not go as hoped. In a statement posted to his social media accounts, Sinner said the knee was not ready for best-of-five-set tennis on hard courts, closing the door on a title defense bid at Flushing Meadows.
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. 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'm obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.
Jannik Sinner
The injury has undercut what had otherwise been a defining season for Sinner. In July he beat Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final to capture his second straight title at the All England Club and the fifth Grand Slam championship of his career, cementing his hold on the No. 1 ranking. He has not played a competitive match since that final, and Friday's announcement confirmed he will not add to that total in New York.
A reshuffled field
Sinner's absence forces a rewrite of the men's seeding sheet. Zverev, who lost that Wimbledon final, moves up to the No. 1 seed for the first time at a hard-court major this year. Carlos Alcaraz, back on tour after nearly four months out with his own injury since April, slots in at No. 2, with Felix Auger-Aliassime rising to No. 3. Novak Djokovic, who has spent much of the past two seasons chasing a 25th major title, moves into the top four as well, and with the man who has been his most difficult recent opponent out of the draw, oddsmakers and analysts have quickly begun recalculating his path through the bracket, as detailed by the ATP Tour's own writeup of the withdrawal.
The timing stings for tournament organizers as much as for Sinner. The US Open's fan week began Sunday in Queens, with singles qualifying set to run through Friday and the main draw opening August 30. Ticket holders and broadcasters had spent months building promotional material around a potential Sinner-Alcaraz rematch on the sport's biggest American stage; instead, the tournament opens with its top-ranked player watching from Italy.
What comes next
Sinner's team said he will remain in Europe to continue rehabilitation with his medical and performance staff rather than travel to New York in any capacity. The stated goal, according to people close to his camp, is to be fit for the tour's Asian swing this fall, including tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai, though no firm return date has been set. His ranking points from last year's US Open run will begin coming off the computer regardless of the outcome in New York, a factor that could tighten the gap atop the rankings even before he steps back on court.
For now, the tournament he has never previously missed will crown a champion without him for the first time since he arrived on tour. The full box of contenders reshaped by his exit will begin play this week, with Zverev, Alcaraz, Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime the four players tour insiders now consider best positioned to fill the void he left behind.
