World No. 1 ranked Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open because of a right knee injury, putting another question mark over his preparation for the U.S. Open later this month. The news comes one week after Sinner also pulled out of the National Bank Open in Montreal because of the knee issue; he has not played competitively since defeating Alexander Zverev to successfully defend his Wimbledon championship in July, a victory that gave him his fifth Grand Slam title.
The 24-year-old Italian announced the decision to withdraw from Cincinnati on Sunday, after consulting with 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 and would now concentrate on preparing for the U.S. Open.
Sinner was the Cincinnati champion in 2024 and reached the final again last year, when he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz. His absence means neither of the world’s top two-ranked men’s players will compete in Cincinnati, with Alcaraz continuing to recover from a wrist injury. The Cincinnati main draw begins Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 23.
The U.S. Open begins Aug. 30 in New York, leaving Sinner with limited competitive preparation before the year’s final Grand Slam. He has indicated that his priority is recovering sufficiently to return for the tournament as he seeks to reclaim the championship he lost to Alcaraz in last year’s final.
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