The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 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 lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing 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 captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
