The timeline for Jannik Sinner to return from his knee injury could be “long” after he cut short his 2026 campaign, according to Italy’s Davis Cup captain.
Sinner announced on Tuesday that he would not play again this year due to the right knee issue that has sidelined him since he won the Wimbledon final in July.
“Hello everyone, I would like to give you a little update,” the 25-year-old Italian said in a video on social media.
“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.
“The last couple of years, especially the ending in Turin, gave me so many beautiful feelings and emotions, which this year is going to be way different, but at the moment I also need to think about my long-term career, so I will do everything possible to get back a hundred percent.”
The five-time Grand Slam champion had already missed the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, the US Open, and the China Open, and he had withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters.
Sinner’s absence means he is set to lose the world No 1 ranking to Alexander Zverev.
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Speaking to Repubblica Sport, Italian Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri revealed Sinner’s training seemed to be “going smoothly” before he suffered a setback.
“Am I surprised by Sinner’s withdrawal until the end of the season? Yes and no,” said Volandri — a former ATP player who reached a career-high ranking of world No 25.
“In Monte Carlo, he trained with [Flavio] Cobolli and two guys from [Riccardo] Piatti’s academy, and it seemed like everything was going smoothly.
“Evidently, Jannik must have ramped up the intensity and you can see it didn’t hold up. Maybe his knee isn’t fully right yet, maybe he’s short on training.
“If that’s the situation, the timelines are long: knowing Jannik and his team, I’m sure they’ll prefer to reach 100% condition first.
“Sinner will come back stronger than before.”
Italy will be without Sinner for the 2026 Davis Cup Finals, which will be held in Bologna from 24-29 November.
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