World No. 1 Sinner Is Out of the US Open — And a Record $108 Million Prize Pool Awaits Whoever Steps Up
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdraws from the US Open with a knee injury, clearing the path for Alexander Zverev's new top seeding as defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returns from a four-month injury layoff.
Image Source : Sportico
The 2026 US Open was already shaping up to be unpredictable. Then its top seed pulled out entirely.
Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and reigning US Open champion from 2024, officially withdrew from this year's tournament on Friday, citing a right knee injury. It's a significant blow — Sinner arrived into the year fresh off a fifth major title at Wimbledon in July, his first Grand Slam win of the season, and had looked like the man to beat heading into Flushing Meadows.
His absence throws the draw wide open. Alexander Zverev, runner-up in New York back in 2020, now becomes the new No. 1 seed after finally breaking through for his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June. Waiting behind him is a genuinely stacked chasing pack, including 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, still chasing his first Slam title since his last US Open win in 2023.
The bigger storyline, though, might be Carlos Alcaraz. The defending champion — who beat Sinner in an epic four-set final last year to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking — hasn't competed since April due to a wrist injury involving an inflamed tendon sheath. He's spent recent weeks training in Spain alongside fellow injury-returnee Holger Rune, testing whether his body can handle the physical demands of best-of-five-set tennis after a four-month layoff. Alcaraz has since confirmed his return, posting simply: "Here we go."
The stakes attached to that comeback are steep. No man has successfully defended a US Open men's singles title since Roger Federer's run ended in 2008 — meaning Alcaraz, win or lose, is already up against nearly two decades of history.
He won't be short on incentive. This year's tournament carries the largest total prize pool in tennis history: $108 million across all events, following a prolonged dispute between players and Grand Slam organizers over revenue sharing. Singles champions on both the men's and women's side will each take home $5.5 million.
Eleven players have already withdrawn from the main draw across both tours, with several high-profile names on the women's side — including Victoria Mboko, Hailey Baptiste, and Emma Raducanu — sidelined by injuries picked up during the clay and grass seasons.
On the women's side, Elena Rybakina enters as a genuine challenger for the world No. 1 ranking, while defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka returns to defend her title. Play officially opens with mixed doubles from August 24-26, with the singles main draw beginning Sunday, August 30, and running through the final on September 13.
For a tournament already missing its biggest defending name in Sinner, the next two weeks in New York look wide open — and considerably more unpredictable than anyone expected just a month ago.
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