Sinner's extraordinary 2026 season ends with knee treatment
The Italian announces his year is over after a 44–3 season with six titles; he has not played since winning Wimbledon on 12 July.
Jannik Sinner's 2026 season is over. Per Yahoo Sports, the Italian announced on 6 October in an Instagram video that he will undergo treatment for his right knee. He finishes the year with a 44–3 record and six titles, per Tennis Head, and has not competed since winning Wimbledon on 12 July, per Ahram Online.
A season of dominance
Before the knee problem halted his year, Sinner compiled one of the strongest records in the sport. His six titles came at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Wimbledon, per Tennis Head: success on hard courts, clay and grass across nearly 50 matches. He won Wimbledon by defeating Alexander Zverev 6–7(7), 7–6(2), 6–3, 6–4 in the final, per Ahram Online.
| 2026 titles |
|---|
| Indian Wells |
| Miami |
| Monte Carlo |
| Madrid |
| Rome |
| Wimbledon (12 July) |
The injury and its scope
The problem is knee inflammation, per Click2Houston. The treatment will be conservative and non-surgical, focusing on physiotherapy and rest, per Punto de Break. In his video, per Yahoo Sports, he said: "Hello everyone, I would like to give you a little update. 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." The rest of his calendar is gone: he will miss the Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals in November and the Davis Cup Finals, per Click2Houston.
Three months of withdrawals
The knee problem surfaced after Wimbledon, per Bleacher Report. On 25 July, less than two weeks after his triumph, Sinner withdrew from the Montreal Masters, per Tennis Majors: "After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal... we believe this is the right decision to prioritise my health."
On 9 August he withdrew from Cincinnati, per ATP Tour. "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," he said.
On 21 August he pulled out of the US Open, unable to recover in time, per Bleacher Report. Tennis Majors reported on 26 August that he had been ordered to rest until 6 September.
The rest did not resolve it. On 25 September he withdrew from the China Open in Beijing, per Tennis Majors, telling fans in a video: "My knee is not where I would like it to be, and I'm not ready to compete." On 3 October he pulled out of the Shanghai Masters on Instagram, per EWN: "Unfortunately I won't be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped." Three days later came the announcement that ended the season.
Missing the year-end championship
Sinner had qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, scheduled for 15–22 November, on the back of his Wimbledon run, per ATP Tour. The absence carries particular weight: he won the title in 2025 and would have been defending both the trophy and its ranking points, per Sports Illustrated. Neither defence is now possible.
The return plan
Sinner is targeting a comeback at the 2027 Australian Open, which begins on 17 January, per Click2Houston. He said he will "do everything possible to get back 100%" and wants "the necessary time to recover before beginning preparations for 2027," per Click2Houston. He framed the decision in wider terms too: "At the moment, I also need to think about my long-term career," per ATP Tour.