Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, 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 post a second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
