Jannik Sinner ends 2026 season due to knee injury

The Italian Jannik Sinner, world No.1 absent from the ATP circuit since his title at Wimbledon in mid-July, will not play again in 2026 due to his right knee injury, he announced on Tuesday, thus leaving the field open to the German Alexander Zverev to seize the throne of world No.1.

“Together with the doctors, we have decided that I need treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over,” Sinner said in a video provided to the press by his entourage. “The last two years, and especially the end (of the season with the ATP Masters, Editor’s note) in Turin, have given me so many great sensations and emotions, which makes this year very different. But for the moment, I also have to think about my long-term career,” he continued. “I will therefore do everything possible to return to 100%,” concluded the native of Alto Adige, this German-speaking region in the north-east of Italy.

In a press release accompanying this video, Sinner's team explained that he was going to "undergo treatment for knee inflammation", thus ruling out the possibility of surgery. Although he did not specify the nature of his injury which has been bothering him for several months, Sinner, 25, suffers according to the Italian press from tendinopathy of the right knee as well as inflammation around the iliotibial band.

He therefore concludes his 2026 season with a record of 44 victories for three defeats, six titles (for a total of 30), including Wimbledon and an unprecedented series of five consecutive Masters 1000 titles (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome). The Italian experienced enormous disillusionment at Roland-Garros, which he approached as the overwhelming favorite in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who was injured at the time. In the only major tournament missing from his record, this year he was eliminated in the second round, victim of heat stroke.

His absence should lead to a change in world No.1, since he still had many points to defend in 2026 with his titles last season in Vienna, at the Masters 1000 in Paris and at the ATP Masters in Turin. With his 11,000 points, he is only 1,280 points ahead of Alexander Zverev who is having the best season of his career.