Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
