The final Grand Slam of the year has plenty of exciting storylines, from Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback after a four-month injury layoff to the star-studded mixed doubles event that saw Serena Williams return to the court where she said goodbye in 2022.
However, the men’s singles draw will be missing one of its biggest names, with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrawing from the US Open due to a right knee injury. His absence has changed the tournament picture, and Alcaraz addressed the news during his press conference.
Carlos Alcaraz Sends Warm Jannik Sinner Message as Rivalry Faces Six-Month Pause
Alcaraz, who is set to play his first singles match since April, spoke about the Italian’s long absence during his pre-tournament press conference.
Reflecting on the fact that they will not face each other for several months, Alcaraz said, “It’s kind of weird we are not going to see each other for six months now, seven months. So it’s a kind of weird situation, to be honest. But I just wish him all the best; hopefully a soon and really great recovery, and see him back on court as at his best once once again.”
Carlos about Jannik :
“It’s weird we’re not gonna see each other for 6 months now, 7 months, it’s a weird situation to be honest. I just wish him all the best (…) a great recovery and see him back in court at his best”
He’s so sweet 🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/z1bZt6kwp3
— Kooky✨ (@Kookytokine) August 28, 2026
Sinner recently announced that he needed more time to recover from his right knee injury. His absence puts the ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry on hold, with the two stars having faced each other in three straight Grand Slam finals in 2025 and regularly battling for the World No. 1 ranking.
The two last played against each other in the Monte-Carlo Masters final in April, where Sinner beat the Spaniard 7-6(5), 6-3. In Barcelona the following week, after his first-round win, Alcaraz suffered from a right wrist injury and had to withdraw from the tournament.
Meanwhile, Sinner went on to win Madrid and Rome and defend his title at Wimbledon. He also extended the Open Era record for the longest winning streak at the Masters 1000 level (34 matches).
The 25-year-old has not played since Wimbledon, withdrawing from the Montreal and Cincinnati events before also pulling out of the US Open due to right knee inflammation. The five-time Grand Slam champion is expected to return in late September at the ATP 500 event in Beijing.
Alcaraz returned to action at the US Open, teaming up with Serena Williams in mixed doubles. The pair reached the quarterfinals before losing to Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.
Last year, Alcaraz defeated defending champion Sinner in the US Open final, winning 6–2, 3–6, 6–1, 6–4.
The main draw starts on August 30. Alcaraz will face Roman Safiullin in the first round. The Russian reached the fourth round of Wimbledon this year after defeating João Fonseca in the third round.
