The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal next season is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
