Sinner ends 2026 season due to knee inflammation, misses ATP Finals

Jannik Sinner will not play again this year. His management team announced on Tuesday that the Italian will undergo treatment for inflammation in his knee, on the advice of his medical team, and that his 2026 season is over.

“The decision has been made to have the treatment now to give Jannik the necessary time to recover before beginning preparations for 2027,” the statement, issued from Monaco, said.

Sinner confirmed the news in a short video message.

“Me together with the doctors have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over,” he said. “The last couple of years, especially the ending in Turin, gave me so many beautiful feelings and emotions which this year is gonna be way different.”

The announcement rules him out of the Shanghai Masters, which began on Monday, and the ATP Finals in Turin from 15-22 November, where he was the two-time defending champion. Sinner was second in the race to Turin with 7,950 points, behind Alexander Zverev (8,750).

Sinner : “Think about my long-term career“

The exact nature of the problem was never formally confirmed by the player or his team. In August, as he began treatment in Turin, Sky Sport Italia reported an extra-articular tendon inflammation, which it described as the least serious type. At the end of September, Il Fatto Quotidiano raised the possibility of iliotibial band syndrome, but stressed it was only a hypothesis. On Sunday, new reports wrote about a small chondral fissure of the lateral femoral condyle, with reactive synovitis and a resulting inhibition of the quadriceps. According to that report, the main issue was not pain but how much load the knee could take.

Sinner said he was thinking about the long term.

“At the moment I also need to think about my long-term career. So I will do everything possible to get back a hundred percent,” he said. “I will thank you already in advance for your support and hope to see you very very soon on court again.”

The Italian ends the season with six titles, the most on the ATP Tour in 2026, ahead of Ben Shelton (four). Those include the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final, and Miami, where he beat Jiri Lehecka. His 10 wins over Top 10 players lead the Tour this year, twice as many as anyone else. His season also included an Australian Open semifinal, which he lost to Novak Djokovic.