The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to severe spinal pain during the season.
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 as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his second-round departure in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"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 was unable to move for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, 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 over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for 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 attempt everything to achieve that."
