The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 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 encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early 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 hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
