Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain during 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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, '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 begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season without pain â I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at 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 make it happen."
