The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered 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 quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain 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 in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."