Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating 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 against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete an encounter," 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 without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed a pre-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform 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 my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
