Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to debilitating spinal pain 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 at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a early exit at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."