The rumours have been swirling for days and now they have been confirmed after world No 1 Jannik Sinner was forced to pull out of the Cincinatti Masters with a knee injury that will have put Novak Djokovic on red alert.
Djokovic was well beaten by Sinner in last month’s semi-final at Wimbledon, as the Italian got the better of the Serbian legend once again on the biggest stage.
It was a reversal of the result that saw Djokovic stun Sinner at the start of 2026 at the same stage of the Australian Open final, yet this dominant win for the eventual Wimbledon champion led many observers to conclude that the Serbian’s last chance to win a 25th Grand Slam title had passed him by.
Just a few weeks later and the tennis landscape looks very different with the US Open set to get underway the end of this month.
With Carlos Alcaraz yet to play a competitive match since he injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April, the Spaniard is in a race against time to play at the US Open.
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The same is no true for Sinner, who has yet to confirm the severity of the injury that has forced him out of what was to be his only warm-up event before heading to New York.
“After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” he said in a statement posted on the ATP website.
“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.”
Sinner gave no hint in his statement that his participation in the US Open is at risk, but there will be some doubts for the Italian if he does head into the tournament at Flushing Meadows with concerns over whether his knee problem will allow him to get through seven matches.
With Alcaraz also facing a big decision over whether he will play at the US Open, the door appears to be swinging out for other contenders in men’s tennis to step forward and Djokovic will believe he can be the big benefactor if Sinner and Alcaraz are either injured.
Even at the age of 39, Djokovic has proved time and again that he is a match for everyone else in men’s tennis aside from Sinner and Alcaraz in the biggest tournaments of them all.
His decision to confirm he is playing at the Cincinnati Masters for the first time since 2023 also suggests the shoulder problem that has been troubling him in recent months is in a good place as he looks to win the 25th Grand Slam title that would give him the all-time record in the major tennis tournaments.
Djokovic is currently tied with Australian legend Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles, but he has been waiting to win that 25th title since his last major win at the 2023 US Open.
For now, Sinner and Alcaraz are still striving to be fit for the US Open, but it seems likely that neither will be fully fit if they play in New York and that could give Djokovic the chance to snare the extra Grand Slam he craves.
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