Jannik Sinner will not play again in 2026 because of a knee injury requiring treatment, the World No. 1 announced. Sinner has not competed since beating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July, and he confirmed the layoff will run through the rest of the season.
“Me, together with the doctors, have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over,” Sinner said in a video message on social media. The announcement ends a dominant year for the Italian, who won 44 of his 47 matches and had not set foot on a competitive court since defending his Wimbledon title.
What Sinner And Doctors Said About The Knee Injury
Sinner’s own words frame this as a medically guided decision rather than a setback forced by a single moment of pain. He said the choice to shut down the season came jointly with his medical team, who determined the knee needed a dedicated treatment program. Sinner’s team said the treatment was designed to give him the necessary time to recover before beginning preparations for 2027. No specific tournament or return date has been announced.
Which Tournaments Sinner Will Miss
Sinner had already skipped the US Open and withdrawn from both the China Open and Shanghai Masters before confirming his season was over. With the season now closed, Sinner will miss the remaining ATP Tour stops and the ATP Finals. He won six titles in 2026 before Wimbledon, including ATP 1000 events at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
Season Context: A Nearly Flawless Year Derailed
Sinner’s only three losses in 2026 came against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, Jakub Mensik in the Doha quarterfinals and Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the French Open second round. Everywhere else, he was close to untouchable, winning his last 10 ATP finals in a row. That run included the Wimbledon triumph over Zverev that now stands as his final competitive match of the year.
The timing complicates Sinner’s grip on the top ranking. He currently holds 11,000 points to Zverev’s 9,720, but with Sinner sidelined and Zverev still competing, that gap is no longer safe. Zverev has been chasing the No. 1 spot, and Sinner’s enforced absence gives him a clear runway to close the distance before the year ends.
What’s Next
With Sinner sidelined for the rest of the year, the ranking race at the top of men’s tennis will shift based on how Zverev and the rest of the field perform.
Reporting from FOX Sports and Sky Sports contributed to this story.
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