Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the Rolex Shanghai Masters after withdrawing from the China Open due to a knee injury. The world No 1 announced on Friday that he would not defend his title in Beijing, and on Saturday he confirmed he will also skip next week’s Shanghai tournament.
Sinner has not played since defending his Wimbledon title against Alexander Zverev in July. The Italian said he was “not ready to compete” in Beijing last week, and now he has to add Shanghai to the list of events he is missing.
“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,” Sinner wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for all your support. I’m looking forward to seeing you again next year!”
The injury that forced the withdrawals
Sinner first skipped the US Open due to the knee problem. Now he has pulled out of two consecutive tournaments, and the timing could not be worse for his season.
The world No 1 said last week that the injury was still not quite right. He has not played since Wimbledon, where he beat Zverev to win the title.
The Shanghai Masters starts on October 7 and is live on Sky Sports.
What Zverev’s lead means for Sinner
Zverev has moved 800 points ahead of Sinner in the Race to Turin Ranking. The German now sits on 8,750 points, while Sinner trails on 7,950.
The gap is significant. Sinner’s hopes of finishing the 2026 season as the year-end No 1 have taken a big hit.
Who else is in Shanghai
The Shanghai Masters will still feature top players, even without Sinner. Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals in Beijing, and they are expected to feature in Shanghai alongside Ben Shelton.
All three of those players currently occupy spots in the top eight of the Race to Turin Rankings.
The full standings show how far behind Sinner and Zverev the rest of the field sits:
- Alexander Zverev – 8,750 points
- Jannik Sinner – 7,950 points
- Ben Shelton – 4,430 points
- Carlos Alcaraz – 4,150 points
- Flavio Cobolli – 3,530 points
- Frances Tiafoe – 3,380 points
- Arthur Fils – 3,275 points
How to watch the action
Sky Sports is covering the ATP Japan Open, WTA/ATP China Open and ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters live. Fans can download the Sky Sports app for analysis, news and video, or stream with no contract on NOW.
Shanghai starts on October 7, and the competition will determine who moves closer to a year-end No 1 finish.
What comes next for Sinner
Sinner’s message on Instagram suggests he plans to come back next year, but no timeline has been set.
For now, the focus is on recovery. The knee injury has cost him the China Open, the Shanghai Masters and potentially more if it drags on. His season has been disrupted at a critical moment.
The Shanghai Masters goes ahead without him. The question now is whether Sinner can return before the end of the year.
The world No 1’s withdrawal from both the China Open and Shanghai Masters is a blow to his hopes of ending the season as year-end No 1. Zverev’s lead in the Race to Turin has grown.
Here are the three key consequences of Sinner’s decision to pull out of Shanghai:
- He loses the chance to defend his title in Beijing.
- He skips the Shanghai Masters entirely.
- His hopes of finishing the 2026 season as year-end No 1 take a big hit.
Source material: “Sinner pulls out of Shanghai Masters after withdrawing from China Open,” Sky Sports.
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