Jannik Sinner will miss the China Open as he continues to recover from a right knee injury that has kept him out of action since his Wimbledon triumph in July.
The world No. 1 has not played a competitive match since defeating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final on July 12. The injury later forced him to withdraw from the US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, and he will now be unable to defend his China Open title in Beijing.
Sinner announced his withdrawal on Friday, September 25, saying that he was not yet ready to return to competition.
“My knee is not there where I would like to be and I am not ready to compete yet, but I will do everything possible to be there on court as soon as I can,” Sinner said in a video posted on social media.
The Italian also expressed his disappointment at missing the tournament he won last year, while saying he hoped to return to the court soon. He did not give a date for his comeback.
A key period for Sinner
Sinner’s absence comes at a crucial point in the season, with the Shanghai Masters 1000 starting on October 7 before the Paris Masters later in the year and the ATP Finals in Turin.
The final part of the season will be particularly important for Sinner as he tries to recover in time for these tournaments. He is the defending champion at the ATP Finals and has a number of points to defend during the closing weeks of the season.
His absence is also giving Alexander Zverev an opportunity to close the gap at the top of the ATP rankings. Zverev moved to within 1,810 points of Sinner after winning the US Open, while Sinner was absent from the tournament because of his injury.
The German is entered for the upcoming tournaments in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna, giving him several opportunities to reduce the deficit further. Sinner’s withdrawal from Beijing also means he will lose the chance to defend the points he earned by winning the tournament last year.
