Story perspectives

Sinner Withdraws With Knee Injury, Opening Wide Men’s Draw

8/28/2026

Summary

Zverev Top-Seeded

Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury, leaving the men’s field wide open.
Alexander Zverev became the top seed, the first major seed never to have reached world No. 1.
Novak Djokovic returned in the same half, chasing a record-tying 25th Grand Slam title.
Aryna Sabalenka seeks a three-peat as the women’s top seed.
The tournament offers $75.6 million total prize money, with each singles champion earning $5.5 million.

Summary

USTA Overhauls Mixed

USTA restructured mixed doubles entry around singles rankings, creating eight qualifiers for a 16-team bracket.
The format uses four-game sets, no-ad scoring, a 10-point tiebreak, and six-game sets only in the final.
The standalone mixed-doubles event sold out, drawing over 10,000 fans and raising early-week attendance.
Doubles specialists said the changes marginalize established pairings in favor of singles stars.
Winners earn a $1 million prize, the event’s record payout.

History

Historical Context

Following the Open Era’s start in 1968, the US Open made history in 1973 when Billie Jean King’s boycott threat forced the tournament to give men’s and women’s singles champions—John Newcombe and Margaret Court—equal $25,000, the first Grand Slam to do so. In 2026 the event offered $101 million in prize money, with each singles champion receiving $5.5 million, echoing the 1973 breakthrough.

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Zverev Top-Seeded

Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury, leaving the men’s field wide open.
Alexander Zverev became the top seed, the first major seed never to have reached world No. 1.
Novak Djokovic returned in the same half, chasing a record-tying 25th Grand Slam title.
Aryna Sabalenka seeks a three-peat as the women’s top seed.
The tournament offers $75.6 million total prize money, with each singles champion earning $5.5 million.

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