Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
