The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout 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 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 in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body responds during actual training with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match 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 is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
