Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training holds up under actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish a match," he added, 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?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. 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."
