The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
