The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport due to severe spinal pain during 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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."