Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to debilitating back issues throughout the season.
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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition post a early exit in New York this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding 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 was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of 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 British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying 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 in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
