2026 has been a fairly brutal year for injuries to some of tennis's brightest stars, and that is having a great effect on the upcoming US Open. Carlos Alcaraz hadn't withdrawn by the middle of August, but that could still happen. Jannik Sinner had pulled out, though.
So did Holger Rune, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon in October 2025, and he hasn't played since. He likely won't play at all in 2026 because coming back after the US Open, which runs from August 30 through September 13, makes little sense. He can get in enough work before the 2027 Australian Open to be ready for that event, as long as he is healthy enough to do so.
By Sinner missing the major, he will drop 1,300 points. Alcaraz has 2,000 to defend, as he defeated Sinner in the 2025 US Open final. Even if Alcaraz plays in New York, which is still in doubt, he wouldn't come close to the Italian's lead in the ATP rankings. He is well ahead of everyone else currently.
All the withdrawals for the 2026 US Open
US Open 2026 WTA withdrawals:
- Victoria Mboko (No. 17)
- Hailey Baptiste (No. 32)
- Jaqueline Cristian (No. 40)
- Emma Raducanu (No. 59)
- Ajla Tomljanovic (No. 93)
- Laura Siegemund (No. 98)
- Varvara Gracheva (No. 106)
- Jil Teichmann (No. 167)
- Irina-Camelia Begu (No. 462)
More women are missing the next major than men, but the depth of talent might be greater than on the ATP side. Raducanu, for instance, has still only won one title in her career, but that did come at the 2021 US Open. She is capable of winning the hard-court Grand Slam again.
So is Mboko, who hurt her knee at the HSBC Championships in June, the event where she had played one doubles match with the returning Serena Williams. She is a rising star with the power to win in New York. That will need to wait until at least 2027, however.
US Open 2026 ATP withdrawals:
- Jannik Sinner (No. 1)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (No. 27)
- Ethan Quinn (No. 58)
- Sebastian Korda (No. 64)
- Holger Rune (No. 102)
- Gabriel Diallo (No. 105)
- Emilio Nava (No. 108)
Tennis fans might have expected Alcaraz to potentially miss the final major of the year, but as of August 22, he is still participating. He has been dealing with a wrist injury since April's Barcelona Open, of course, and could be rusty while trying to defend his 2025 US Open title.
Less expected, as recently as July, was Sinner missing the Masters events in August and also the New York Grand Slam, but he missed those due to a knee injury. One wonders if he will bother returning until the beginning of 2027.
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