The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had 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 complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."
