Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
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 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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
