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 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 at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
