Sports21 August, 20263 min read
Jannik Sinner Withdraws From U.S. Open With Persistent Right Knee Injury
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Jannik Sinner withdraws from the US Open because of persistent right knee injury. Jack Draper withdraws from US Open due to chronic left arm injury.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Sinner, Draper out
World number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open due to a persistent right knee injury, depriving the season's final Grand Slam of one of its biggest contenders.
Sinner said, "Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the U.S. Open this year," and Reuters reported he has not played since sustaining the injury earlier this month.
The U.S. Open runs from August 23 to September 13, and Reuters added that Jack Draper also withdrew from the event after Sinner pulled out.
Draper’s absence was described by Tennis Now as the result of a chronic left arm issue, and it said he officially withdrew from the US Open today.
Tennis Now also said Draper’s last major match was a four-set win over Federico Agustin Gomez in the 2025 US Open first round, and that he has not contested a major since.
Alcaraz rises
Reuters reported that the announcement came a day after world number two Carlos Alcaraz confirmed he would compete at Flushing Meadows following a four-month absence from competitive tennis. Reuters said Alcaraz now heads to New York as the highest-ranked player and one of the favourites to lift the title, and it framed Sinner’s absence as removing one of the Spaniard's biggest rivals. The BBC also tied Sinner’s withdrawal to the rivalry context, quoting Sinner as saying, "We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue."
The BBC added that Sinner was "obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart," and it described how Sinner and Alcaraz have not both been present at the past three Grand Slams. In the same BBC report, it said Germany's Zverev will be the top seed at Flushing Meadows, ahead of Alcaraz and Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Draw reshaped
ESPN Colombia reported that Facundo Díaz Acosta enters the main draw as Argentine tennis gets a boost after the withdrawals of Sinner and Draper.
Reuters said Draper was forced to cut short his season because of a bone injury in his arm and that he has also battled a knee injury this year, with his best Grand Slam performance coming at the 2024 U.S. Open where he reached the semi-finals.
Tennis Now put Draper’s season record at an 8-6 mark in 2026 and said one of his eight wins was a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) Indian Wells triumph over Novak Djokovic.
BBC reported that Draper has played just 16 matches in the past 12 months and missed all four Grand Slam tournaments this year, while also noting he withdrew because of the long-term arm injury.
With the U.S. Open singles main draws starting on Sunday 30 August, the BBC said the withdrawals mean the two standout stars are absent from the same draw for the third successive Grand Slam tournament.