New York, Aug 21 (IANS) World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Britain's Jack Draper have withdrawn from the upcoming US Open due to injury, dealing another blow to the men's singles field and further disrupting the rivalry between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

The Italian, who has not taken part in any competitive matches since winning his fifth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last month, is still recovering from a injury to his right knee; he confirmed his decision to withdraw after going back to the practice court in Monte Carlo but concluding that he needed more time to recover.

"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," Sinner said.

"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," he added.

"I'm obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart."

Sinner's withdrawal comes just one day after his main rival, Alcaraz, confirmed that he would take part in the event at Flushing Meadows following an absence of four months due to a wrist injury.

With Sinner not being there, the two-time Wimbledon champion and Alcaraz will once again find themselves separated at a Grand Slam, thus continuing the disappointing sequence for tennis fans who have been hoping to see the sport's top rivalry take place on the grandest stage.

In men's tennis Sinner and Alcaraz have been in control over the past two seasons, having won all eight Grand Slam titles together in 2024 and 2025; three of the four major finals last year involved the two of them and they also played in the ATP Finals at the end of the season.

But their rivalry has not been able to keep up that level of intensity this year; Sinner and Alcaraz have only played each other once in 2026, Sinner defeating the Spaniard in the Monte Carlo final in April and thus regaining the world No. 1 ranking.

The fact that Sinner was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Australian Open meant that the two young players did not meet in four Grand Slam finals in a row. Since then Alcaraz has missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to his wrist injury. Sinner wanted to defend his US Open title after having won the tournament in 2024; he reached the final the previous year but was defeated by Alcaraz before then winning his fifth major at Wimbledon by beating Alexander Zverev. At the same time, Draper has also had to miss the tournament due to a long-term arm injury which has greatly disturbed his season.

--IANS

hs/