Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport due to severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, 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 second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
