The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury 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 in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season in good health – 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 complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
