World number one Jannik Sinner has confirmed that he will not play again in 2026 after deciding to end his season early because of a persistent right knee injury.
The 25-year-old Italian, who has not competed since successfully defending his Wimbledon title in July, announced the decision in a video posted on social media on Tuesday.
He said he and his medical team had concluded that further treatment was necessary. “Me together with the doctors have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over,” Sinner said.
Sinner acknowledged that the decision was difficult after several highly successful seasons but stressed that his priority was protecting his career in the long term.
“The last couple of years gave me so many beautiful feelings and emotions, which this year is going to be way different. I will do everything possible to get back 100%.”
Jannik Sinner, World Number 1
The decision rules the Italian out of the remainder of the ATP season, including the Paris Masters and ATP Finals in Turin, where he has won the title in each of the past two years.
His management team said the treatment was being undertaken now to give him sufficient time to recover before beginning preparations for the 2027 season.
Sinner’s Remarkable 2026 Campaign Cut Short
Despite the injury setback, Sinner leaves 2026 having produced one of the most dominant stretches of tennis of his career.
He won six titles, including five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Wimbledon, and compiled a 44-3 singles record.
His Masters run was particularly historic as he became the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles before completing the Career Golden Masters by winning the Italian Open in Rome.
Sinner also won the Monte Carlo final against Carlos Alcaraz to reclaim the world number one ranking before beating Alexander Zverev in the Madrid final. He eventually defeated Zverev again in the Wimbledon final to claim his fifth Grand Slam title.
His season was not entirely flawless. He lost to Novak Djokovic in a five-set Australian Open semi-final and suffered a surprise second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerundolo at Roland Garros, ending a 30-match winning streak.
However, he responded by winning Wimbledon and finishing the season with a remarkable 10-1 record against top-10 opponents.
Sinner’s early exit also has major implications for the ATP rankings. He entered the final part of the season with a substantial points haul to defend from his 2025 victories in Beijing, Vienna, Paris and Turin.
He will now be unable to retain those points, opening the door for second-ranked Zverev to potentially take over the number one position.
Sinner had 3,550 points to defend during the closing stages of the season, including 1,500 from his unbeaten ATP Finals triumph.
Zverev, who won the French Open and US Open in 2026, is therefore in position to become the next world number one as Sinner turns his attention to recovering fully.
For Sinner, however, the immediate priority is no longer the rankings. After a season in which he established himself as the dominant force in men’s tennis, the Italian has chosen rehabilitation over protecting his position at the top.
He is expected to return to competitive action in 2027.
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