First, Carlos Alcaraz was the player having to deal with a long-term injury. He hurt his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April and has missed every tournament since. He hopes to return by the US Open. ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner will not, though.
At some point between the French Open, which saw Sinner lose in the second round mostly because of the heat, Wimbledon in July, and a couple of weeks before the final major of the year, Sinner hurt his knee.
What appeared to be a minor issue has clearly become a more important one. First, Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open, and then the Cincinnati Open. After seeking counsel from a trusted doctor, the hope was that the Italian would at least come back by the US Open. That he didn't at least try to get to New York indicates his knee injury is far worse than anticipated.
Jannik Sinner withdraws from the 2026 US Open
Will he play the rest of 2026? Maybe not. What's the real point after missing the Grand Slam in New York? Only two months remain after that, and though one of those is the ATP Finals, it would be better to come back fully healthy for the start of 2027.
When announcing his withdrawal from the US Open on social media, Sinner said, "We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue."
Of course, that is classic tennis. The depth of the injury is often not conveyed, but a tinge of hope for the near future is. Tennis fans don't know when Sinner will return, and he might not either. The sport takes a brutal toll on one's joints, and constant punishment on one's knees is not something that can be quickly recovered from.
The same is true of Carlos Alcaraz's wrist. He has practiced, sure, and he looks fit enough, but the videos posted to social media are a lie. The truth is that fans don't know what is going on behind closed doors. Alcaraz might be in real pain, enough to force him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.
His playing in the US Open cannot be counted on yet either. He still has more than a week to return, and once he does, he will be asked to immediately defend those 2,000 points he earned by winning the major in 2025. Expecting him not to play for five months in an ATP match and then to suddenly win a Grand Slam is asking a lot.
Ultimately, Alcaraz and Sinner might both be losers at the US Open, and at least one might not even play at the event. Tennis fans lose too, though. They miss out on seeing the two best players in men's tennis in their best form.
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