Jannik Sinner Withdraws From US Open, Knee Injury Ends Grand Slam Streak

The US Open has suffered a major blow even before the first ball is struck, with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrawing from the season's final Grand Slam as he continues to recover from a right knee injury.

The 25-year-old Italian, who won his second consecutive Wimbledon title last month, said he had been working extensively with his team and medical staff but had not recovered sufficiently to compete when the main draw begins on August 30.

Sinner had already missed the hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati, raising doubts about his fitness ahead of the US Open. After returning to the practice court in Monte Carlo, he realised that his recovery would require more time.

The decision brings an abrupt halt to an extraordinary run for Sinner, who has compiled a 44-3 record and won six titles this year. His Wimbledon triumph also took his Grand Slam tally to five major titles.

New York, however, has been a particularly significant venue in his career. Sinner won the 2024 US Open, defeating Taylor Fritz in the final, before finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's championship match.

His absence will also deny tennis fans another possible chapter in the increasingly compelling Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry. The two stars have dominated men's tennis in recent years and contested the last three Grand Slam finals in 2025, with Alcaraz winning their most recent major showdown in New York.

Unlike Sinner, Alcaraz has confirmed that he expects to be ready for the tournament after recovering from a right wrist injury that had kept him out of action since April.

For Sinner, the withdrawal is especially significant because it marks his first missed Grand Slam tournament since making his major debut at the US Open in 2019.

The world No. 1 now faces a race against time to regain full fitness, while the US Open begins without one of its biggest champions and one half of modern tennis' most exciting rivalry.