Tennis world No. 1, Jannik Sinner, has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters as he continues to recover from a knee injury that has kept him out of action since July.
The Italian has not featured competitively since successfully defending his Wimbledon men’s singles title, missing the North American hardcourt swing, including the US Open, as well as the ongoing ATP 500 tournament in Beijing.
Sinner, 25, confirmed his withdrawal from next week’s Rolex Shanghai Masters in a statement posted on Instagram on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped,” Sinner wrote on Instagram on Saturday.
“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.”
The Masters 1000 tournament, which begins on Wednesday and runs until October 18, has attracted a strong field led by four-time champion Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending champion Valentin Vacherot.
Sinner won the Shanghai title in 2024 after defeating Djokovic in the final.
His absence could also affect the battle for the world No. 1 ranking, with Zverev the Italian’s closest challenger.
The German can claim the top spot for the first time if he wins both the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters.
