Jannik Sinner will miss the US Open with a right knee injury.The world number one has not played a match since beating Alexander Zverev last month to successfully defend his Wimbledon title, missing the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati.The news comes a day after his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, who the Italian lost to in the final in New York 12 months ago, revealed he will make his comeback from four months out with a wrist injury at Flushing Meadows.Sinner said: “Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year.“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”It will be the first time the 25-year-old has missed a grand slam since making his debut at the US Open in 2019 and will further focus attention on the physical demands of the tennis calendar.Sinner is the sixth player to withdraw from the men’s singles since the entry list was announced, while six women have also pulled out, including Britain’s Emma Raducanu.His absence means he and Alcaraz, who faced each other in three successive major finals last year, will only have both played one grand slam – the Australian Open – in 2026, with the Spaniard sitting out the French Open and Wimbledon.Sinner will remain at home in Europe and continue his recovery with the aim of being ready for the tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai in October.Zverev will be the top seed in New York but Sinner’s number one ranking is not under threat, with the Italian just over 5,000 points clear of his nearest rival.