By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, September 28, 2026
Photo credit: US Open/USTA
Jannik Sinner’s cranky right knee may well knock him out of the Asian swing.
World No. 1 Sinner withdrew from Beijing last week and will likely pull out of the Rolex Shanghai Masters set for October 7-18th, Italian publication Corriere dello Sport reports. Sinner, who is reigning Beijing champion, won Shanghai in 2024.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Sinner has not played a match since his 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final last July.
“I’m very sorry to announce I won’t be able to play Beijing this year,” Sinner said in a social media post last week. “My knee’s not there, where I would like to be, and I’m not ready to compete yet.
“But I will do everything possible to be there on court as soon as I can. What I miss the most is of course the tournament, the fans and the atmosphere. I’ve had great times in the past winning the title last year and I’m very disappointed that I cannot defend it this year.”
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) September 25, 2026
There is growing speculation Sinner will skip the entire Asian swing and possibly aim to comeback in November if his right knee permits it. Sinner is defending champion at both the Rolex Paris Masters and ATP Finals set for Turin, Italy.
Team Italy will play for a historic fourth consecutive Davis Cup championship at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, November 23rd-29th. Former Davis Cup hero Sinner did not play the Davis Cup Finals last year as Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini led the Italians to a third straight Davis Cup.
For now, Sinner, who attended the fashion show of his sponsor, Gucci, in Milan last week, is treating his knee issue with rest and rehab. However, Italian media reports if this conservative approach does not help him heal in the coming weeks, Sinner could consider surgery.
Journalist Gabriele Parpiglia reports Sinner is suffering from Iliotibial Band Syndrome above his right knee, a condition common in distance runners, Johns Hopkins reports.
“The trouble arises right above [Sinner’s] knee. There the band passes over a protrusion of the femur, the lateral epicondyle,” Corriere dello Sport reports. “Every time the knee bends and stretches, it slides over it, until the tissues between the fascia and the bone become inflamed. And that’s why we talk about “extra-articular”: the damage is not inside the knee. [It] is out[side]. On the external side.”
If Sinner, who has posted a 44-3 record with six tournament titles in 2026, is forced out of both Shanghai and Paris it opens the door for world No. 2 Alexander Zverev to surpass the Italian for the top spot in the rankings.
Reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Zverev currently trails Sinner by about 1,370 points in the rankings.
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