Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
