Jannik Sinner withdraws from the China Open because of lingering knee injury
Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts after winning against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
MILAN — Jannik Sinner will not be able to defend his China Open title, further delaying his return from injury as he says his knee is not quite ready yet.
The top-ranked Sinner has not played since beating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final. He withdrew from the U.S. Open because of a right knee injury.
And on Friday the Italian officially pulled out of the China Open, which starts Wednesday in Beijing.
“I am very sorry to announce that I won’t be able to play in Beijing this year,” Sinner said in a video on social media. “My knee is not there where I would like to be and I am not ready to compete yet, but I will do everything possible to be there on court as soon as I can.
“I am very disappointed that I cannot defend it (the title) this year but I’m very happy to come back next year. I wish everyone a very good tournament and I see you all very soon on court again.”
Sinner did not state when he could potentially be back on tour. There is a Masters 1000 event in Shanghai starting Oct. 7 and an ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, Austria, starting Oct. 26.
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