Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid 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 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 at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
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 takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
