Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
