Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away Amid 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 due to debilitating back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned 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, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"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 make it happen."
