Jannik Sinner’s latest plans to return to tennis have been revealed after missing US Open with injury

It’s been a while since Jannik Sinner has been in action on the ATP Tour.

Sinner‘s last appearance was in the 2026 Wimbledon final against Alexander Zverev, which he won to capture his fifth Grand Slam title. After triumphing in SW19, the Italian suffered a knee injury and was sidelined for the entirety of the North American hard-court swing, including the US Open.

In his absence, his rival Carlos Alcaraz made a comeback to tennis following four months out due to a wrist injury and reached the US Open quarterfinals in his first tournament back. Meanwhile, Sinner has been targeting his own return for the Asian swing, which has already kicked off in Chengdu and Hangzhou.

Jannik Sinner set to return at the China Open next week

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner will now travel to Beijing on Sunday for the China Open, where he is the reigning champion. The world number one won the ATP 500 tournament for the second time last year by beating American youngster Learner Tien in the final.

Sinner’s China Open campaign will mark the first of four title defences he is set to embark on between now and the end of the season. Across the China Open, the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, Sinner is defending 3500 ATP points.

The 25-year-old is now in danger of losing his spot atop the ATP rankings, with Zverev putting on the pressure by winning the US Open. Zverev is less than 2000 ATP points behind Sinner after his victory in New York, and the German only has 1,080 points to defend for the rest of the year.

The China Open is set to begin on the 30th of September and will run through to the sixth of October. As well as Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Zverev are among the players on the entry list for the tournament.

Neither Sinner nor Djokovic will feature this weekend at the Laver Cup, where Alcaraz will play his first match since the US Open