Jannik Sinner has kept the details of his knee injury private as he brings his 2026 season to an early close. The Italian last competed at Wimbledon in July before withdrawing from the remaining tournaments on his schedule, leaving fans with few details about his recovery. But former World No. 1 Andy Roddick believes Sinner owes the public no further explanation, especially when other players have chosen to be more open about their health.

On his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the American pushed back against comparisons between Sinner and Emma Navarro, who recently spoke publicly about her health struggles.

“Uh, one, the Navarro to Sinner comparison is ridiculous,” Roddick said on the show.

He praised Navarro for sharing her experience, calling her account “amazing” and “relatable,” before making his point about personal choice.

“And just because one person feels like sharing when there are questions about what has been going on doesn’t mean that everyone has to take that lane….People who don’t, like I we’re not we don’t have the right to know everything.”

Navarro’s decision to open up was deeply personal. She described dealing with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism over the past two to three years. In an Instagram post, she explained how the conditions affected her life on and off the court and how finding the right diagnosis helped her begin working toward recovery.

Sinner, meanwhile, has taken a different approach. He has confirmed his withdrawals and offered brief explanations, but has not disclosed further medical details about his knee. After pulling out of the Canadian Open to give his body time to recover, he withdrew from Cincinnati in August, later skipped the US Open and China Open, and ultimately ended his season after pulling out of the Shanghai Masters.

In his October 6 announcement, Sinner confirmed that he would not play again this season but did not offer a detailed diagnosis or a firm date for his return. That has left questions about his recovery unanswered, but Roddick’s argument is that unanswered questions do not automatically entitle fans to private medical information.

Sinner’s approach is hardly unprecedented in tennis. Rafael Nadal often kept details of his injuries close to the vest throughout his career, while Andy Murray was more forthcoming when discussing his hip problems and eventual surgery. Players differ in how much they want to share, and Roddick believes that difference deserves to be respected.

Andy Roddick explains why injury updates can become a burden

Roddick also highlighted how publicly discussing a recovery timeline can create pressure for an injured player. Even an estimate given in good faith can turn into an expectation, leaving the athlete to explain every delay when rehabilitation does not go as planned.

“What if after Wimbledon you’re like, Okay, it’s about a monthlong thing, a monthlong injury, right?,” Roddick said on his podcast. “And then every single day we’re talking about, Is he coming back? and then something happens in training and there’s a slight delay. And a slight delay at that point could mean the end of 2026.”

He went on to explain that sharing every development can mean having to revisit those predictions whenever circumstances change, even if the setback is relatively minor. For an athlete trying to recover, that additional scrutiny can become an unnecessary distraction.

Dominic Thiem’s comeback from a wrist injury offers a useful example of how difficult recovery timelines can be to predict. The Austrian repeatedly tried to return to competition after suffering the injury in 2021, only to encounter setbacks that delayed his comeback. His experience showed how an initially optimistic timeline can change as an athlete works through rehabilitation.

Sinner, by contrast, has avoided setting a public deadline for his return. His decision to end the season also means he has accepted the possibility of losing his World No. 1 ranking, with Alexander Zverev in contention to finish the year at the top.