Major update on Jannik Sinner's injury & return date ahead of China Open 2026
A right knee injury has kept Jannik Sinner sidelined for over two months.
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Jannik Sinner hasn’t set foot on a competitive court since lifting the Wimbledon trophy on July 12, when he beat Alexander Zverev in four sets to defend his SW19 crown and clinch his fifth Grand Slam title. That win also made him the first player to qualify for this year’s ATP Finals.
Since then, a right knee injury has kept him sidelined for over two months, ruling him out of the entire North American hard-court swing, including the Cincinnati Open and, most painfully, the 2026 US Open.
Sinner had originally targeted the China Open later this month as his comeback event, a tournament he had also won last year. Positive reports had emerged regarding his recovery, and the Italian’s comeback seemed imminent.
His team had resumed low-intensity work at Turin’s Circolo della Stampa Sporting, focusing on testing and strengthening the knee rather than actual racket training, with the latter expected to follow in the coming days or weeks.
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However, fresh reports from Italy suggest that Sinner’s comeback has hit a setback. Former ATP pro Stefano Pescosolido said Sinner is being deliberately cautious to avoid a setback and floated the possibility that he skips the Asian swing entirely, returning instead at Vienna to be fresh for the ATP Finals.
That would be a significant call given what’s still on the calendar. Two Masters events remain in 2026: Shanghai, Paris, and the ATP Finals in Turin, where Sinner is the two-time defending champion. The 25-year-old has around 2,500 points to defend between Paris and Turin alone.
Despite dropping nearly 1,950 points from his missed tournaments, he still leads the rankings comfortably, sitting on 11,000 points to Zverev’s 9,630, and has now spent 90 weeks at World No. 1.
According to reports, Sinner’s biggest priority for this 2026 season is to play the year-end Finals in Turin and be fit and prepared for the next calendar year. For now, he has not officially withdrawn from the China Open, which is set to begin on September 30.
Why hasn’t Jannik Sinner played since Wimbledon?
A right knee injury has kept Sinner sidelined for over two months, ruling him out of the US Open and the entire North American hard-court swing.
Will Jannik Sinner play the China Open 2026?
He has not yet officially withdrawn, but reports suggest he may not participate in the Asian swing and could return directly in Vienna to prepare for the ATP Finals.
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