Djokovic to contact with Sinner after injury forces early end to his season

Novak Djokovic plans to reach out to Jannik Sinner after an injury ended the top-ranked player's season, saying Thursday he knows how difficult it is to come back after a lengthy layoff.

Sinner announced on Tuesday that he will miss the rest of the year due to knee inflammation.

The five-time major winner has not played since July when he beat Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final.

He then withdrew from the U.S.

Open because of a right knee injury.

"I haven't been in touch with Jannik since he got injured, I just saw the news two days ago.

So I'll reach out to him to see how he's doing," Djokovic said Thursday at the Shanghai Masters.

"As someone that has been through some major injuries in my career." For so long an ever-present on the ATP men's tour, Djokovic made the decision in late July 2017 to sit out the rest of that year after struggling with acute pain in his right elbow.

"I had a surgery, and it was the only big surgery that I had," the 24-time major champion Djokovic .