World No.1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to a right knee injury, joining Carlos Alcaraz on the sidelines and leaving the upcoming Masters 1000 tournament without the world’s top two players.
The Cincinnati Open announced Sinner’s withdrawal on Sunday, August 9. The Italian stated he was not ready to compete after consulting his medical team.
“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner said. “My right knee has been bothering me, and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.”
Sinner added that he was disappointed to miss the tournament but would now focus on preparing for the US Open.
The 2024 Cincinnati champion has not competed since winning Wimbledon, where he defeated Alexander Zverev in the final to claim his fifth Grand Slam title. His latest withdrawal comes after he also pulled out of the ongoing Canadian Open in Montreal, meaning he will miss both Masters 1000 events of the North American hard-court swing before the US Open.
Sinner had enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2026 season, winning the first five Masters 1000 tournaments of the year and completing the Career Golden Masters in Rome, becoming only the second player after Novak Djokovic to achieve the feat.
He now holds a 12-4 record in Cincinnati, including his title run in 2024, but will not have the opportunity to add to that record this year.
Read also : Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Cincinnati as wrist recovery continues
Sinner’s withdrawal follows Alcaraz’s decision to skip Cincinnati as the Spaniard continues to recover from a right wrist injury that has kept him out of competition since April. Alcaraz has also missed much of the clay-court season, the grass-court swing, and the Montreal Masters 1000 as he works toward a return.
The result is another Masters 1000 tournament without either of the two highest-ranked players in men’s tennis. Both Sinner and Alcaraz remain focused on returning in time for the US Open, which begins on August 30.
The Cincinnati Open main draw is scheduled to begin on August 13 and run through August 23, with Zverev and Djokovic among the leading players still set to compete.
