Jannik Sinner ends 2026 season with knee injury

Jannik Sinner will miss the remainder of the 2026 season because of a persistent injury to his right knee, BBC Sport reported on Tuesday. The world number one has not competed since successfully defending his Wimbledon title in July, and his decision now rules out a return before the end of the year.

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The 25-year-old Italian explained the decision in an Instagram video. According to the BBC's account, Sinner and his doctors agreed that his knee required a course of treatment. He said protecting his long-term career had shaped the decision and expressed his determination to return fully fit. The announcement commits him to treatment rather than a late-season comeback.

The enforced absence follows a season in which Sinner won 44 singles matches and lost only three. A five-time Grand Slam champion, he was the leading player for much of the year before the knee problem kept him away from competition after Wimbledon. His title defence there remains his most recent competitive appearance, according to the report.

Earlier in the season, Sinner claimed five consecutive Masters 1000 titles between March and May. That sequence made him the youngest man to complete the career Golden Masters, the BBC reported. Those achievements, together with his Wimbledon success, preceded an extended break that will now continue through the remaining tournaments on the 2026 calendar.

His withdrawal also has consequences for the contest to finish the year at number one. Alexander Zverev is second in the rankings and trails Sinner by 1,280 points in the live standings cited by the BBC. Zverev has won both the French Open and the US Open this year, and the report describes him as highly likely to overtake Sinner, rather than certain to do so.

Sinner cannot defend the ranking points from last year's title wins in China, Vienna, Paris and the ATP Finals. Those points form part of the challenge to retaining his position while unable to play. For Sinner, the immediate priority outlined in his announcement is the treatment agreed with his doctors and a return to full fitness.