US Open 2026: Injuries and Uncertainty Among Tennis’s Top Stars

The 2026 U.S. Open arrives with three of the sport’s biggest names facing physical setbacks. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka entered the tournament after aggravating an Achilles injury that forced her to retire in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals against Iga Swiatek. She will begin the event in mixed doubles with Novak Djokovic before attempting a singles comeback. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2023 Australian-Open champion, suffered tenosynovitis in his wrist during his opening match at the Barcelona Open and will return in mixed doubles on Tuesday, hoping to gauge his wrist before the singles draw. Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from the U.S. Open with a right-knee injury that has kept him off the court since Wimbledon, will miss the tournament entirely.

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Since 2022, the trio of Alcaraz, Sinner and Sabalenka (joined by Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff) have amassed 16 Grand Slam titles and five year-end No. 1 finishes. Their rise followed a two-decade era dominated by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, who together captured 89 Grand Slam singles crowns. The earlier “Big Three” era set a benchmark of near-continuous dominance; the current generation’s injuries and intermittent title runs signal a departure from that pattern.

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• Combined Grand Slam singles titles (Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff) since 2022: 16.

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• Year-end No. 1 finishes among the same players since 2022: 5.

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• Novak Djokovic’s career record: 24 Grand Slam singles titles and 428 weeks at world No. 1 (contextual reference).

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Sabalenka, speaking at a recent round-table, emphasized that Elena Rybakina, world No. Sinner, after a series of health-related exits, summed up the players’ mindset with the observation, “We’re not robots.”

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The injuries create a volatile singles field. Sabalenka’s mixed-doubles partnership with Djokovic offers a chance to rebuild confidence before she tackles the singles draw. Alcaraz’s mixed-doubles debut with Serena Williams provides a low-pressure environment to test his wrist. With Sinner absent, the men’s draw opens for other contenders, while the women’s side features a tight race among Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff and Rybakina.

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• Mixed doubles: Sabalenka / Djokovic and Alcaraz / Williams will play their opening matches on Tuesday.

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• Singles: Alcaraz plans to enter the men’s singles draw the week after his mixed-doubles match, pending wrist assessment.

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• Absent players: Sinner’s knee injury keeps him out of the tournament, with no announced return date.

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The convergence of injuries, mixed-doubles pairings, and a historically dominant era giving way to a more unpredictable field sets the stage for a U.S. Open that could reshape the narrative of modern tennis.

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