Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not 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 without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team 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 in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."