The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney in early 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 to know you completed a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
