LONDON — Jannik Sinner’s curtailed 2026 campaign will keep the world No 1 sidelined for nearly six months after a persistent knee injury ended his season following his Wimbledon title defence. The Italian has not played since winning the Wimbledon final, missing his favoured hard-court swing despite expectations he would dominate the summer with Carlos Alcaraz still out after his Roland Garros disappointment.
Toni Nadal, speaking to Italian media this week, predicted Sinner would return at the Australian Open but warned about the mental toll of such a long absence. “If he approaches this period with a positive attitude, he’ll eventually get back on the same path he was on before retiring from competition. He finished by winning Wimbledon, which is always a great achievement. He has to keep doing what he was doing,” Nadal said.
Nadal drew a direct parallel with Alcaraz’s recovery, adding: “Will he come back a winner? Just like Alcaraz. When Carlos had the problem in Barcelona, he knew how to wait patiently. Already in the first tournament of his return, the US Open, he came close to achieving a great result, then now he’s won Tokyo. I think the same thing will happen to Sinner. He’s too strong not to get back on the same path.”
The Spaniard also offered a theory for Sinner’s susceptibility and called on the sport’s lawmakers to act. “Sinner is a player who sits very low on his legs, bending them a lot. When you run that fast, every time you stop there’s a constant impact that eventually wears you down. When you play at this speed, there’s always some sudden movement, and that’s how injuries happen,” he said. “In any case, tennis should change something because it’s not possible for the best players in the world to get injured simply by playing tennis. You can get injured if you take a hit or fall. I say it’s time to slow down, perhaps by using smaller rackets that prevent you from hitting so hard.”
The length of the lay-off has also influenced his coaching set-up, with Darren Cahill now reportedly considering staying with Sinner into 2027 despite having initially planned to part ways after the 2024 season.