Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating back issues 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.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-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 try all means to achieve that."
