Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic at both 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 at the US Open in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last 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 could not to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
