Jannik Sinner’s time away from the ATP Tour has now been pushed out by at least another month after injury forced him to withdraw from the US Open. The world No 1 has not played competitively since Wimbledon, with his most recent match coming on 12 July, when he beat Alexander Zverev in the final at the All England Club to successfully defend his grass-court Grand Slam title.

Sinner had originally been pencilled in for a comeback at the Canadian Open, but he stepped away from the ATP Masters 1000 event and said he needed to “prioritise his health”. In his statement, he explained: “After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal. It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritise my health.”

No injury was mentioned at that stage, though he was later seen wearing a knee brace in practice, which only heightened concern over his availability for the North American hard-court swing. Soon after, he also confirmed he would miss the Cincinnati Open. “My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.

“I’m very disappointed not to be able to play in Cincinnati. I can’t wait to be back next year and I’m now focusing on getting ready for the US Open.”

That was followed by the latest setback, with Sinner pulling out of Flushing Meadows because of the same knee issue. “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 said. “I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.”

Sinner has played only nine tournaments in 2026 so far. His remaining schedule currently points to Beijing in September, where he is set to defend his China Open title at the ATP 500 event starting on 28 September. If he delays his return further, Shanghai could be next on 5 October, followed by possible appearances in Vienna or Basel, both of which begin on 26 October. The season ends with the ATP Finals in Turin on 16 November, where he defended his title last year by beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Brandon Nakashima has ensured the Cincinnati Open will produce a first-time ATP Masters 1000 champion after ending Taylor Fritz’s run in the quarter-finals.

With world No 1 Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz missing because of injury, the draw had already been weakened further by early exits for Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. Fritz, the 2022 Indian Wells Open winner, had stood as the last former Masters champion left in the field before Nakashima removed him.

The 25-year-old is now within reach of a second straight ATP 1000 final after finishing runner-up at the Canadian Open. He beat Fritz 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 13 minutes, and afterwards explained the confidence he has taken from recent matches.

“Just getting a lot of confidence from all the matches I have been playing,” Nakashima said after his 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 6-3 win in two hours and 13 minutes. “When it came down to the wire in the third set, just tried to trust my game fully and just really proud of how I ended the match.”

That result has lifted Nakashima to a new career high of No 22 in the official ATP Rankings, and his Cincinnati run means he is now set to move into the top 20. He has already climbed six places to No 16 in the Live Rankings, and a place in the final would take him as high as No 11.

Nakashima must first get past another American, Frances Tiafoe, in the semi-finals. Tiafoe beat 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 and will also move back inside the top 20 next week after rising five places. He started the event at No 23 and can climb to No 11 if he wins the title.

The other semi-final will be between Cobolli and Fils. Cobolli moved to a career-best No 6 in the Live Rankings after beating Tommy Paul in three sets, while Fils rose seven places to No 14, matching his career high, after a straight-sets win over Thiago Agustín Tirante.

Carlos Alcaraz is strongly tipped to team up with Serena Williams in the US Open’s redesigned mixed doubles event.

The competition, which was transformed into a high-profile showcase in 2025, is set to feature pairings including Felix Auger-Aliassime with Alex Eala, and Novak Djokovic with Aryna Sabalenka. Alcaraz has been the subject of speculation for much of the summer, and the talk has grown louder since the Spaniard confirmed he would take part.

That expectation has been reinforced by several respected tennis journalists, among them Ben Rothenberg and Jon Wertheim, who have indicated that Alcaraz and Williams will be partners at Flushing Meadows.

The world No 3 has not built much of a doubles résumé. Since making his ATP Tour debut in 2018, he holds a 9-6 record in the format and has yet to win a doubles title.

Most of his doubles appearances have come in Laver Cup competition, where he has represented Team Europe over the past two seasons. At the 2025 event, he partnered with Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud in winning efforts. In 2024, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev lost to Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

He has also appeared in Davis Cup doubles for Spain. In 2024, he played with Marcel Granollers in ties against the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

One of the most notable partnerships of his career came at the Paris Olympics in 2024, when he joined Rafael Nadal for the King of Clay’s final Olympic appearance. The Spanish duo won two matches to reach the quarter finals before losing to American pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Alcaraz’s only previous mixed doubles outing came at the 2023 Hopman Cup, where he played with Rebeka Masarova in two defeats. Against them were Belgium’s Elise Mertens and David Goffin, and Croatia’s Donna Vekic and Borna Coric.

With Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, the attention around Alcaraz’s mixed doubles campaign will only increase as the event unfolds.