Jannik Sinner: World No 1 withdraws from Rolex Shanghai Masters as knee injury forces him to skip China Open

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@ 03/10/2026

Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Rolex Shanghai Masters as he deals with a knee problem.

On Friday, the Italian announced he would not defend his title at the China Open, having previously skipped the US Open due to the injury.

Sinner has now not played since he defended his Wimbledon title against Alexander Zverev in July.

Sinner withdraws from China Open due to knee injury
Alcaraz and Djokovic advance to quarter-finals in Beijing
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Sinner has not played since he successfully defended his Wimbledon title against Alexander Zverev in July

After revealing he was "not ready to compete" in Beijing last week, Sinner expressed his disappointment at having to now pull out of the Shanghai Masters, which commences on October 7 and is live on Sky Sports.

"I always enjoy playing in front of the Shanghai fans and I'm very sorry that I won't be able to do so next week," Sinner wrote on Instagram.

"Thank you for all your support. I'm looking forward to seeing you again next year!"

The world No 1 said last week that the injury was still not quite right.

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Zverev, meanwhile, has pulled ahead of Sinner in the Race to Turin Ranking, with the German now 800 points clear of the five-time Grand Slam champion.

The injury means Sinner's hopes of finishing the 2026 season as the year-end No 1 have taken a big hit.

Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton, who all currently occupy spots in the top eight of the Race to Turin Rankings, are set to feature at the Shanghai Masters.

Race to Turin standings

Alexander Zverev - 8,750 points
Jannik Sinner - 7,950 points
Ben Shelton - 4,430 points
Carlos Alcaraz - 4,150 points
Flavio Cobolli - 3,530 points
Frances Tiafoe - 3,380 points
Arthur Fils - 3,275 points

Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App. You can watch the ATP Japan Open, WTA/ATP China Open and ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters live on Sky Sports.