World No 1 Sinner withdraws from Shanghai Masters as knee injury lingers

World number ‌one Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from next ⁠week’s Shanghai ⁠Masters tennis tournament as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that has sidelined him since winning ⁠the Wimbledon men’s singles title in July.

The Italian, 25, has not played since his triumph at the All England ⁠Club, missing the North American hardcourt swing, including the US Open, and the ongoing ATP 500 event in Beijing.

“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 event runs from Wednesday to October 18 and features a ⁠strong field, led by four-time champion Novak Djokovic along with Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending ⁠champion Valentin Vacherot.

Sinner won the Shanghai title in 2024, defeating Djokovic in ⁠the final.

Sinner’s absence could boost Zverev’s ⁠push to finish the season as the world number one. The German, who was the French Open and US Open champion this year, has emerged as ‌the Italian’s closest challenger.

Zverev can move to the top of the rankings for the first time if he ‌wins ‌both the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters.