Casper Ruud, 27, the 2022 US Open men's singles runner-up, announced his withdrawal from the 2026 US Open singles event due to a persistent back injury just after the tournament began on August 30, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Ranked No. 19 or No. 20 globally at the time, Ruud had suffered the injury earlier in August when he retired during the second set of his Cincinnati Open match against Christopher O'Connell [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Despite competing in the US Open mixed doubles event the week before, Ruud showed signs of pain during serving practice and ultimately decided to withdraw to focus on long-term recovery [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Ruud shared his disappointment in an Instagram post, saying, "Unfortunately, my back hasn't healed as quickly as we had hoped. We've been optimistic that I would recover in time, but my team and I have decided that we need to think long term and give my body the time it needs. I'm very sad to announce that I have to withdraw from this year's U.S. Open singles event. It's never easy to miss a Grand Slam, but I know this is the right decision. I'll take the time I need to recover properly and come back stronger" [1]. He has participated in every US Open singles draw since his professional debut in 2017, making this his first absence at the tournament [5, 6].
French player Arthur Gea, who lost in the final qualifying round, was inserted into the main draw as Ruud’s replacement and was scheduled to face Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the first round [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Several other notable players—including Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Joao Fonseca, and Holger Rune—have also withdrawn or skipped the event, with Cilic cited as withdrawing due to injury but without details provided [2, 4].
The US Open continues with the men's singles matches scheduled to proceed now without Ruud. His focus will be on recuperation with hopes to return stronger in upcoming tournaments.
