Brazilian tennis player João Fonseca announced on Monday (24) that he will not play the US Open, the season's final Grand Slam, which begins on Sunday (30) in New York. The 20-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, currently ranked 26th in the world, did not recover in time from an abdominal injury sustained last week at the Cincinnati Masters 1000.
According to Folha de S.Paulo, Fonseca flew back to Rio on Wednesday (19) to treat the problem, but the timeline to the New York opener proved too short. Sports site ge reports that the Brazilian felt the abdominal pain during a practice session in Cincinnati, one day before a third-round match against Australia's Christopher O'Connell, and withdrew from that tournament. In his Cincinnati opener, he had beaten the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp.
"After undergoing exams and starting treatment on my abdomen, it became clear to me and to my team that I need more time to recover 100% and be able to compete at a high level. So, unfortunately, I will not be able to play the US Open. It was not an easy decision, since it is a very special tournament for me," Fonseca wrote in a statement, in which he also thanked fans for their support and for birthday wishes; he turned 20 on Friday (21).
US Open organizers had already announced on Monday that the Brazilian was out of the Stars of the Open, an exhibition event scheduled for Thursday, where he will be replaced by Italy's Flavio Cobolli. Missing the main draw ends a run of seven consecutive Grand Slams played by Fonseca since he turned professional, according to ge. Even without playing, he held on to 26th place in the ATP ranking, with 1,800 points, as the second-highest South American, 180 points behind Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, the world No. 25. His career-best ranking is 24th.
A season marked by injuries
Physical problems have dogged Fonseca through 2026. Lower back pain delayed the start of his season and kept him out of the ATP 250 events in Brisbane and Adelaide, as well as Brazil's Davis Cup tie in February. In May, a right wrist issue ruled him out of the Hamburg ATP 500; in June, shoulder discomfort kept him from the Eastbourne ATP 250. At the Grand Slams, he fell in the Australian Open first round and reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals, with a win over Novak Djokovic, before losing to Czech Jakub Mensik. At the 2025 US Open, his main-draw debut in New York, he was eliminated in the second round by Czech Tomas Machac.
Fonseca now targets a return for Brazil's Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in September, in Rio de Janeiro. The Davis Cup is the main national-team competition in men's tennis. His schedule after that includes the Tokyo ATP 500, the Shanghai Masters 1000, the Basel ATP 500 and the Paris Masters 1000. The US Open itself has now lost 18 players to withdrawals, per ge, including world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is nursing a right knee injury, and Britain's Emma Raducanu, the 2021 champion in New York.