Top-ranked Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open after suffering a knee injury.

In a statement posted on the ATP website, Sinner said, “After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.”

“My right knee has been bothering me, and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet,” he said.

The tournament is set to begin on Thursday, the same day as the end of the Masters event in Canada’s Montreal, which he is also going to miss.

The five-time Grand Slam winner is on a six-tournament winning streak at the 1000 level heading into the North American hard-court swing before skipping the event in Canada.

Sinner said the decision to withdraw from the event was mainly to “prioritise my health”.

Besides Sinner, world number two Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is also battling a wrist injury and is also likely to miss the tournament.

The Cincinnati Open and Montreal Masters are the two principal warm-up events ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, which starts in New York on August 30.

Also read: Sarfaraz Khan likely to replace injured Sai Sudharsan