The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete 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 pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
