World No. 1 tennis player Jannik Sinner announced his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open on August 9, 2026, citing a lingering right knee injury [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The 24-year-old Italian, who won his fifth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last month, said he is not yet ready to compete despite working closely 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. 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 said [1]. He expressed disappointment but confirmed his focus is now on preparing for the upcoming US Open starting August 30 in New York [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Sinner had previously withdrawn from the Canadian Open, another key US Open warm-up event, due to the same knee issue earlier this month [1, 3, 4, 5, 6]. He has not played competitive matches since his Wimbledon victory in July 2026, where he successfully defended his title to claim his fifth Grand Slam [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The Cincinnati Open, a Masters 1000 tournament held on hard courts, is an important stop for players preparing for the US Open [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The main draw is scheduled to start August 13 and run through August 23, with qualifying rounds beginning August 11 [7].
Sinner won the Cincinnati Open title in 2024 and finished as runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in 2025 [1, 3, 6]. However, Alcaraz, the world No. 2 and defending Cincinnati champion, is also sidelined due to a wrist injury and will not defend his title this year [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. With the two top-ranked players out, the tournament will feature former champions such as Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev [2, 7, 8].
Despite the setbacks, Sinner reiterated his commitment to returning stronger. "I'm very disappointed not to be able to play in Cincinnati and wish Bob [Moran] and his whole team a great and successful event. I can't wait to be back next year and I'm now focusing on getting ready for the U.S. Open," he said [7]. He will be targeting full recovery ahead of the US Open, which begins August 30 in New York [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
