The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued 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 after the defeat 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 five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
