Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to debilitating back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
