00:00The U.S. Open kicks off in Queens later this month, but one of the game's biggest stars and former
00:06Open champ won't be in the field.
00:09Yannick Sinner, the 2024 U.S. Open champ who returned to the final last year, won't be competing when the
00:16Grand Slam tournament begins.
00:18We all know he's ranked number one in the world and announced in a statement Friday that he's withdrawing from
00:24the event due to a right knee injury that's kept him sidelined since winning Wimbledon last month.
00:30He also missed the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.
00:34Now, this latest news comes as a shock to the tennis world because when he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open,
00:40his statement said that he's now focusing on getting ready for the U.S. Open.
00:45But instead, Sinner will miss his first major tournament since debuting on that stage at the U.S. Open back
00:52in 2019.
00:53Now, you never want to see a star miss a major tournament like this, but the injury does now open
01:01the door and significantly increases the odds for an American such as Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz or Francis Tiafoe
01:10to win a Grand Slam for the first time since Andy Roddick in 2023.
01:16Fritz lost to Sinner in straight sets in the 2024 final after defeating Tiafoe in an All-American semifinal.
01:24While Sheldon, who's one of the game's rising stars at just 23 years old, has reached a pair of semis
01:30at the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 Australian Open.
01:35But for some reason, an American hasn't been able to win the Grand Slam title for the last two plus
01:42decades.
01:42Now, with Sinner out, Carlos Alcaraz, who's overcome a wrist injury himself because of an overwhelming favorite to win.
01:51But his absence could also clear a lane for other names to make a run.
01:56But that always depends on how the draw shakes out.
01:59Now, Sinner's absence also caps a disappointing end to what otherwise would have been a dominant calendar year,
02:06with the 25-year-old collecting a 44-3 record in singles play.
02:12The 2026 U.S. Open begins with Fan Week and qualifying on Sunday, August 23rd.
02:19So stay locked in to The Post for all of your behind-the-scenes and exclusive coverage.
