The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against 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.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
