Sinner Misses ATP Finals Title Defense With Knee Injury

Jannik Sinner will miss the ATP Finals in Turin after ending his season in October with a right knee injury. [Jannik Sinner drops worrying hint ahead of 2027 Australian Open — Athlon Sports]

The field set on November 6 sends Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev to the Inalpi Arena from November 15 to 22, plus four first-time qualifiers. Rafael Jodar, ranked No. 168 in January, took the last place. [Rafael Jodar completes 2026 Nitto ATP Finals field — ATP Tour]

Sinner hasn't played since winning Wimbledon in July, his fifth major title. He announced on October 6 that his season was over. He'd qualified second in the Race to Turin with 7,950 points, and he'd won this event the last two years, beating Taylor Fritz in 2024 and Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5 in the 2025 final. In Milan this week he set the Australian Open as his target and left the timeline open: "Right now, the most important thing is to take care of my body, because I want to keep playing for another 10-15 years." [Jannik Sinner drops worrying hint ahead of 2027 Australian Open — Athlon Sports]

His absence leaves the field to Zverev, the Race leader on 9,350 points and world No. 1 since November 2, who's playing his ninth Finals and won the title in 2018 and 2021. Alcaraz missed six months of the season with a wrist injury, then won the Paris Masters on Sunday, beating Shelton in the final; he's still chasing a first ATP Finals title. Daniil Medvedev, the 2020 champion, is the other former winner in the draw. [Rafael Jodar completes 2026 Nitto ATP Finals field — ATP Tour]

The other four are all debutants. Flavio Cobolli plays at home. Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe took their places in Paris last week. Shelton, in his second Finals, is trying to become the first left-hander to win the event since John McEnroe in 1984. [Rafael Jodar completes 2026 Nitto ATP Finals field — ATP Tour]

Jodar's route was the strangest. The 20-year-old Spaniard started the year ranked No. 168; no qualifier has ever started from that low. He didn't even play the deciding match: his place was confirmed on November 6 when Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz in the Paris quarter-finals. Alex de Minaur and Fritz are the alternates. Novak Djokovic finished 12th in the Race and misses the event for the first time since 2017. [Rafael Jodar completes 2026 Nitto ATP Finals field — ATP Tour]

The groups are drawn on Thursday at about 12:45 p.m. in Turin. Round-robin play runs November 15 to 20, the semi-finals are on November 21, and the final is on November 22. An undefeated champion earns $5,171,000 and 1,500 ranking points. [Nitto ATP Finals 2026: Preview, player list, format and how to watch — LTA]