SHANGHAI — Novak Djokovic said he will reach out to Jannik Sinner after the world No. 1 confirmed Tuesday his 2026 season is over due to a right knee injury that has sidelined him since winning Wimbledon in July. Sinner withdrew from the Shanghai Masters last week after already missing the entire North American hard-court swing and the China Open, while Djokovic arrives in Shanghai for the Masters 1000 tournament following his victory at the ATP 500 event in Beijing.
"Yeah, I haven't been in touch with Jannik since he got injured. I saw the news, well, two days ago. I'll reach out to him to see, you know, how he's doing," said the 24-time Grand Slam champion at his pre-tournament press conference in Shanghai when asked about Sinner and how this type of injury can define the career of a champion.
Djokovic pointed to his own major layoff, recalling the elbow surgery in 2017 that kept him out for six, seven months as the only big surgery he has had. He said the comeback is as much mental as physical, adding, "But then it's mental. You're on the court and you're thinking, am I really completely healed and free to make this run. I mean, for him, if it's a knee, obviously it's affecting everything. It's affecting every single movement."
Djokovic said he is sure Sinner and his team are making wise choices and backed the decision to think long-term. He noted Sinner has been the best player in the world and a dominant force for the last couple of years along with Carlos, saying, "For sure, the tennis misses him." Djokovic added it is important to give yourself more years in a career to chase objectives. His arrival in Shanghai follows Djokovic's victory at the China Open for his 102nd title in Beijing.