Jannik Sinner out of US Open as world number one issues statement

World tennis number one Jannik Sinner has pulled out of next week's US Open.

Sinner has been out of action because of a knee injury since Wimbledon, which he won to retain his title and collect his first major of 2026.

The Italian, who won the US Open in 2024 and was beaten in the final by rival Carlos Alcaraz in 2025, has announced that he won't be targeting a sixth grand slam championship at Flushing Meadows this year.

"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," the 25-year-old posted on Instagram.

"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. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there."

Sinner's absence from the US Open means that 2026 will not be the third consecutive year in which he's won two grand slams.

In 2025, he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon and reached the finals of the US and French Opens, losing both against Alcaraz.

The two have exchanged world number one status since the summer of 2024, with Sinner sitting top of the pile since April. Only nine men's players have spent more weeks than the Italian as the world number one.

Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open at the start of the year but fell short in France, where the Open title has eluded him thus far.

He beat Alexander Zverev in four sets to win Wimbledon for the second time in July but has been struggling for fitness over the last month.

It's been reported that Sinner has been suffering with pain and inflammation in his right knee. According to journalist Richard Crivelli in Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner has been in Turin to undergo shockwave therapy on his injury.

The Italian had already pulled out of competitions in Canada and Cincinnati as a result of the injury, saying at the time of his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open that he was not 'ready to compete' despite working with his medical team on the persistent issue.

Sinner's US Open announcement quickly followed the news that defending champion Alcaraz will compete at the US Open despite his own issues with a wrist injury.

The world number two and defending US Open champion has been unable to play for four months, missing the French Open and Wimbledon this year.