The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under actual training concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with 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 Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
