Sinner withdraws from Shanghai, Zverev eyes World No. 1 spot
Jannik Sinner withdraws from the Rolex Shanghai Masters due to his persistant knee injury, missing the Asian swing. His absence opens a significant door for Alexander Zverev to potentially claim the World No. 1 ranking, adding a dramatic twist to the ATP season.
Jannik Sinner, 2026 | © Giuseppe Antonelli / FIPT
Jannik Sinner’s injury-hit season took another blow on Saturday when the world No. 1 officially withdrew from the 2026 Rolex Shanghai Masters, announcing on his Instagram story that his ongoing right knee problem has left him unable to play. Having already skipped the China Open in Beijing the week before, the Italian will now miss the entire Asian swing, the latest chapter in a stop-start campaign that has kept him off the match court since he lifted the Wimbledon title in July.
The decision was a disappointment on several fronts, not least because Italian media had been notably optimistic about his chances of returning in Shanghai, a tournament he won in 2024. Instead, Sinner struck an apologetic tone and offered no timeline for his comeback.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped,” he wrote. “I always enjoy playing in front of the Shanghai fans and I’m very sorry that I won’t be able to do so next week. Thank you for all your support. I’m looking forward to seeing you again next year!”
Zverev No.1 ?
The nature of the injury has come into sharper focus. According to Italian journalist Gabriele Parpiglia, Sinner is dealing with iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, a condition in which the band slides over the knee as the joint bends and straightens, until the tissue between the fascia and the bone becomes inflamed.
For now, the only certainty is that the knee has not improved as quickly as his team had hoped.
The next event on Sinner’s schedule is the Vienna Open, which begins on October 24, and he is also confirmed for the Paris Masters. In all, four tournaments remain on the table — three of them already entered — and his record at them underlines just how much is at stake: he is a past champion in Vienna (2023 and 2025), Paris (2025), at the ATP Finals (2024 and 2025) and at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, where he has twice helped Italy to the title (2023 and 2024).
The ranking consequences may prove the most significant of all. Sinner still leads the standings with 11,000 points to Alexander Zverev’s 9,670, and he is defending just 50 points in Shanghai. But his absence hands Zverev a clear opening: the German can ascend to world No. 1 as early as this Masters 1000 fortnight.
