World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from next week’s Shanghai Masters, extending his absence from competitive tennis after missing the China Open in Beijing last week due to a right knee injury.
The 25-year-old Italian, who has won six titles in 2026 and boasts a 44-3 win-loss record this season, has not played since successfully defending his Wimbledon title in July.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play at the Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped,” Sinner wrote on Instagram on Saturday, ahead of the tournament, which runs from October 7 to 18.
Sinner, who withdrew from the Beijing tournament in late September while he was the defending champion, gave no further details about his latest decision.
Italian media reported that the five-time Grand Slam champion consulted a knee specialist in Lyon, France, on Friday.
His continued absence could further open the door for his closest rival, Alexander Zverev, to challenge for the world No. 1 ranking before the end of the season.
Sinner currently leads Zverev by 1,370 points in the ATP rankings.
Sinner was in dominant form at Wimbledon in July, successfully defending his title with a four-set victory over Zverev in the final. After losing the opening set, the Italian recovered to win 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 in a match largely dominated by serve.
However, Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Open in August because of the knee problem.
“My right knee has been bothering me, and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet,” he said at the time.
Sinner also has significantly more ranking points to defend than Zverev in the final stretch of the season. In 2025, the Italian won the ATP 500 tournaments in Beijing and Vienna, the Paris Masters 1000 and the ATP Finals in Turin, where the champion earns 1,500 ranking points.
Zverev, 29, had a less successful finish to last season and therefore has fewer points to defend, giving him greater scope to gain ground in the remaining tournaments.
The German has enjoyed an impressive 2026 campaign, winning the first two Grand Slam titles of his career at the French Open and US Open. He also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon final.
AFP
