The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
