The US Open begins next weekend, but 16 players have already ruled themselves out of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season, including former champion Emma Raducanu and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Five years after Raducanu made history by lifting the trophy as a qualifier, the Brit has been forced to skip the event due to a stress fracture in her leg. Sinner announced his withdrawal on Friday as he continues to recover from a right knee injury.
Raducanu and Sinner out
The British No. 1 has not played a match since she finished runner-up at Queen's in June. Raducanu picked up a "lower leg niggle" after having to play three matches in two days due to rain delays, and this later developed into a stress fracture, forcing her to miss Wimbledon.
She did not enter the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, and has already ruled herself out of the US Open on the five-year anniversary of her historic title run as a qualifier.
The world No. 1 has been battling a right knee injury that also forced him out of the Cincinnati Open, and he announced his US Open withdrawal in an emotional statement shared on Friday.
"Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year," Sinner wrote on social media.
"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. I'm obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there."
American stars among withdrawals
American stars Sebastian Korda, Hailey Baptiste and Emilio Nava are also among those who won't be in action, while Laura Siegemund and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina have become some of the most recent withdrawals.
Korda has been sidelined by a back injury since March and recently underwent surgery before pulling out of his home Grand Slam tournament. "It's been 4 months off-court managing pain in my back with a lot of pressure on my sciatica," he wrote on social media.
"After different treatments we decided to have a swift surgery that has finally relieved the pain. What a relief."
Nava has not played a match since losing in the first round of Wimbledon, and US Open organisers confirmed his withdrawal earlier this week. The world No. 108 has been replaced in the draw by French star Benjamin Bonzi.
