Jannik Sinner withdraws from the China Open because of lingering knee injury

MILAN (AP) — 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.”

Jannik Sinner withdraws from the China Open because of lingering knee injury | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Jannik Sinner of Italy reacts to winning against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

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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