Jannik Sinner has ended his 2026 season early in order to undergo treatment for an ongoing right-knee injury, removing the world No 1 from the final tournaments of the ATP campaign.
The Italian said in a social-media video that he and his doctors had decided he needed a course of treatment for his knee. He said the decision reflected the need to consider his long-term career and that he would do everything possible to return fully fit.
Sinner’s team said the treatment was being undertaken on the advice of his medical staff for inflammation in his knee. The team added that taking that step now would provide the time required for recovery before he begins preparing for 2027.
The 25-year-old has not played competitively since beating Alexander Zverev to retain his Wimbledon title in July. His announcement formalises an absence that had already led to withdrawals from the US Open, his China Open title defence and the Shanghai Masters.
Sky Sports reported that Sinner had skipped the US Open before withdrawing from his China Open defence and the forthcoming Shanghai Masters. The season-ending decision means those individual withdrawals are now part of a confirmed absence for the remainder of the campaign.
Season-ending events ruled out
Sinner will also miss the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals. The absence means he cannot repeat the late-season results that contributed to his current position at the top of the rankings.
According to the BBC, Zverev is 1,280 points behind Sinner in the live rankings. However, Sinner will be unable to defend the points he earned by winning in China, Vienna, Paris and at the ATP Finals in 2025. The BBC said that situation made it all but certain that Zverev would replace him as world No 1 before the end of the year.
The BBC reported that Sinner’s late-season titles in China, Vienna, Paris and at the ATP Finals accounted for points he will now be unable to protect. Zverev, currently second in the rankings, therefore has the opportunity to move past a player who will not compete during that period.
That potential change should be viewed as a consequence of the ranking calendar and Sinner’s enforced inactivity rather than a settled outcome from one event. Sinner will have no opportunity to add points or protect his previous total during the closing stretch.
A shortened season with six titles
Despite the early finish, Sinner’s 2026 record contains six titles and 44 wins from 47 singles matches, according to Sky Sports. His run included five ATP Masters 1000 titles, at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, before his Wimbledon success.
Sky Sports reported that the five Masters 1000 victories came before Wimbledon, where Sinner beat Zverev in the final. The broadcaster also said that he had won his previous 10 ATP finals, underlining the results he had produced before his competitive absence after July.
Sky Sports reported that his only defeats of the season came against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals, Jakub Mensik in the Doha quarter-finals and Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round of the French Open. Sinner subsequently responded to the Paris defeat by defending his Wimbledon crown against Zverev.
The BBC also reported that Sinner finished with a 10-1 record against top-10 opponents in 2026, with the defeat coming against Djokovic in Melbourne. That record, alongside his six titles, explains why the loss of his place in the rankings would reflect his late-season absence rather than an extended run of poor results.
His decision now brings a halt to a season in which he remained the leading player in the rankings despite not competing after July. Sky Sports reported that Sinner had won his last 10 ATP finals before the injury-related absence.
The immediate priority is treatment. Sinner said he hoped to be back on court very soon, while his team said the plan was to allow recovery time before preparations for 2027.
For the remainder of 2026, the principal competitive effect is clear: the ATP Finals will proceed without their recent champion, while the ranking race will continue without the player currently occupying its top position.