Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
