Jannik Sinner's withdrawal from the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati has set the tennis world buzzing, with the world No. 1 confirming that a troublesome right knee is keeping him off the court. The Italian released a statement on Sunday explaining that, despite working closely with his medical team, he was simply not ready to compete. He expressed disappointment at missing Cincinnati but insists his focus is now squarely on arriving at the US Open in the best possible shape.
Rumours about Sinner's knee had been circulating for several weeks before the official announcement. Reports suggested he had paused his training programme and had even flown in his personal doctor for consultations. The secrecy surrounding those early conversations only intensified the speculation, and when the withdrawal was confirmed, alarm bells rang for supporters who regard the Wimbledon champion as a heavy favourite for the final Grand Slam of the year.
Sources close to Sinner have since described the withdrawal as purely precautionary, insisting the knee problem will not derail his US Open campaign. That messaging is fairly standard practice for top players, who are rarely inclined to reveal the full picture to their rivals. However, the situation draws uncomfortable parallels with the early handling of Carlos Alcaraz's wrist injury, which was initially described as mere inflammation after his Barcelona Open exit but has kept the Spaniard sidelined ever since. Nobody is suggesting Sinner's issue is anywhere near as serious, but the guarded language sounds familiar.
With the US Open rapidly approaching, all eyes will be on Sinner's first practice sessions in New York to gauge just how comfortable he really is. TennisDraw users have been leaning heavily on Sinner as a deep-run pick, making his fitness status the most urgent question in the draw right now.
