The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe spinal pain during 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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"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."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
