Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish 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 another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
