Oct 3 (Reuters) - World number one Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from next week's Shanghai Masters as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that has sidelined him since winning the Wimbledon title in July.
The Italian, 25, has not played since his triumph at the All England Club, missing the North American hardcourt swing, including the US Open, and the ongoing ATP 500 event in Beijing.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped," Sinner wrote
on Instagram on Saturday.
"I always enjoy playing in front of the Shanghai fans and I'm very sorry that I won't be able to do so next week."
The Masters 1000 event runs from October 7-18 and features a strong field led by four-times champion Novak Djokovic, along with Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending champion Valentin Vacherot.
Sinner won the Shanghai title in 2024, defeating Djokovic in the final.
Sinner's absence could boost Zverev's push to finish the season as world number one. The German, French Open and US Open champion this year, has emerged as the Italian's closest challenger.
Zverev can move to the top of the rankings for the first time if he wins both the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
