The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe 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 an encounter," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
