Jannik Sinner has extended his leave after winning Wimbledon 2026. Tennis fans won’t see the World No. 1 in action before the Cincinnati Open in mid-August after his decision not to contest the tournament in Montréal (August 3-13).
While Sinner’s absence would not normally have caused much concern, this tournament is different. It is the first Masters 1000 event he is missing this season, denying fans the chance to watch him continue his bid for a clean sweep of all nine Masters 1000 titles.
Rennae Stubbs Blasts the Tennis Community’s Expectations of Jannik Sinner
Sinner is on an unprecedented streak of 34 Masters 1000 matches won that dates back to his opener at the Paris Masters in October 2025. He is the first player in history to have won six consecutive tournaments at the level, including all five completed tournaments this year (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome).
By winning Rome, the Italian also joined Novak Djokovic as the only other player to have won all nine Masters 1000 trophies in his career, and he is the youngest to do so at 24, with the Serb achieving the feat when he was 31.
With his clean sweep in the first half of the season, fans were hoping to see Sinner continue his dominance at the remaining four events, the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, the Shanghai Masters, and the Paris Masters. He, however, withdrew from the Montréal event to recharge before the US Open swing. Stubbs, a former doubles World No. 1 and Serena Williams’ coach, backed his decision.
“I don’t blame Jannik for not playing. It was a bear of a schedule for him doing what he did,” she said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
Sinner’s winning spree from March to May came at a cost, as signs of fatigue surfaced during his second-round defeat at the French Open, played in scorching conditions. He, however, redeemed himself by defending his Wimbledon trophy.
“He played all those clay-court tournaments, lost that really tough match at the French, then goes and wins Wimbledon. He doesn’t play anything prior. Maybe he learned a lesson about the load of the tennis that he did before the French,” Stubb said.
The Aussie coach also called out fans for their seemingly unrealistic expectations, arguing that the World No. 1 is focused on a far bigger goal — capturing a sixth Grand Slam title at the US Open.
“And then people have the audacity to be like, ‘Well, he has an opportunity to win all the Masters 1000s this year. Why wouldn’t he do it?’ I was like, ‘Do you think he cares about that?’ I mean, really cares about that? He’s got so many records now, being the youngest to do this and the youngest to do that. He just won Wimbledon. His only thinking right now is how can I win the US Open?”
Sinner has already won six trophies this season, taking his total tally to 30 career titles. The 24-year-old would now hope to recreate his impressive 2024 North American swing by winning the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
He would then turn his attention to a part of the season that has historically brought him success, with title defenses lined up in Beijing, Vienna, Paris, and Turin.
