By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
World number one Jannik Sinner announced on social media on Friday, his withdrawal from the U.S. Open due to a persistent right knee injury.
Sinner, 24, who recently secured his fifth major title at Wimbledon, has been sidelined since the injury earlier this month, missing the Cincinnati and Canadian Opens respectively.
“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 U.S. Open this year,” Sinner said in a statement on X.
“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 withdrawal comes a day after rival Carlos Alcaraz, to whom the Italian lost in last year’s US Open final, announced he will make his comeback from four months out with a wrist injury.
Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon due to his wrist injury while a number of top young players, such as Jack Draper, Arthur Fils and Holger Rune, have also suffered injury issues.
Zverev won his first grand slam title at the French Open by beating Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final, before Sinner defeated the German to defend his Wimbledon crown the following month while Alcaraz’s absence was again felt.
The U.S. Open runs from August 23 to September 13. Sinner won the US Open in 2024.