Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating back issues 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 second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"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 could not to walk for two days. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
