The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe back issues during 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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
