The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of severe back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training responds during regular practice with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
