Jannik Sinner, the 2024 U.S. Open champion who returned to the final last year, won’t be in the field when the Grand Slam tournament returns to Queens later this month.
Sinner, ranked No. 1 in the world, announced in a statement Friday that he’s withdrawing from the event due to a right knee injury that has kept him sidelined recently.
“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 in a statement posted to 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 injury now opens the door — and significantly increases the odds — for an American, such as Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe, to win a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2023.
And there won’t be a chance for another showdown between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
More to come on this developing story…
