World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will both arrive at the 2026 US Open without having contested either of the traditional North American hard-court Masters events in Canada or Cincinnati. The Italian recently announced that he will be skipping the Cincinnati Open, following Alcaraz, who was ruled out to focus on recovery ahead of the last Grand Slam.
Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati Open on Sunday with a right knee injury. The Italian, who successfully defended his Wimbledon title in July, had already opted out of the Canadian Open to prioritise recovery. In a statement, he said his knee had been bothering him and that, after consulting doctors and his team, he was “not ready to compete yet.”
Sinner and Alcaraz set to return together at US Open after skipping warm-ups
The five-time Grand Slam champion, who has not competed since defending his title on grass, expressed disappointment but confirmed his focus is now on preparing for the US Open, which begins in New York at the end of August.
On the other hand, the Spanish star, Alcaraz, the defending US Open champion, continues to recover from a right wrist injury and has not played a competitive match since the Barcelona Open in April. He will also miss both lead-in tournaments.
The dual absence carries historical weight. Since the Masters 1000 format began in 1990, no man has won the US Open after skipping both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati. The pair have previous success at these events.
Sinner claimed the Cincinnati title in 2024 before winning his first US Open, while Alcaraz won Cincinnati last year before defeating Sinner in the Flushing Meadows final, but this year both will enter the final Grand Slam of the season with limited recent match play, particularly on hard courts.
ALSO READ: Jannik Sinner withdraws from Cincinnati; a look at his injury report ahead of US Open