The 2026 US Open has been rocked by the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner, but how will the Italian star’s absence affect the men’s seeding positions.
The US summer hard-court season will conclude with the US Open, with main draw singles action at Flushing Meadows getting underway on 30 August.
In the US Open men’s draw, there will be 128 players, including 32 seeds. The cutoff date for seeds is Monday 24 August — which is the last time the ATP Rankings will be updated before the New York major begins.
The ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati is the final tournament from which ranking points will impact US Open seeding positions.
Six men have withdrawn from the US Open, with Sinner and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina the two players who would have been seeded.
Sinner has pulled out due to a right knee injury, with the world No 1’s last match his victory in the Wimbledon final.
More US Open News
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
In the absence of Sinner, Alexander Zverev will be the top seed as he will climb from third to second in the ATP Rankings on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed his US Open participation, having been out of action for over four months due to a right wrist injury.
The Spaniard is currently the world No 2, but he will drop to third when he loses the points from his 2025 Cincinnati Open title next week.
Felix Auger-Aliassime will be the third seed in New York, while Novak Djokovic is set to be the No 4 seed.
Flavio Cobolli, who is currently projected to be the No 5 seed, can overtake Djokovic if he reaches the Cincinnati final.
Taylor Fritz, who is currently 10th in the Live ATP Rankings, can also surpass Djokovic’s points total if he progresses to the title match at the Masters event.
Projected 2026 US Open ATP seedings (based on ATP Live Rankings)
1. Alexander Zverev
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Felix Auger-Aliassime
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Flavio Cobolli
6. Alex de Minaur
7. Daniil Medvedev
8. Ben Shelton
9. Taylor Fritz
10. Rafael Jodar
11. Lorenzo Musetti
12. Learner Tien
13. Arthur Fils
14. Alexander Bublik
15. Jakub Mensik
16. Jiri Lehecka
17. Casper Ruud
18. Brandon Nakashima
19. Frances Tiafoe
20. Tommy Paul
21. Luciano Darderi
22. Valentin Vacherot
23. Andrey Rublev
24. Francisco Cerundolo
25. Joao Fonseca
26. Alejandro Tabilo
27. Arthur Rinderknech
28. Ugo Humbert
29. Tomas Martin Etcheverry
30. Alexander Blockx
31. Cameron Norrie
32. Matteo Arnaldi
READ NEXT: Andre Agassi makes huge Carlos Alcaraz claim about Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
