The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season

A competitive moment for Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open

The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to severe back issues throughout the season.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both 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, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."

"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 could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen 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 Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.

"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.

"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."

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