The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of severe back issues during 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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
