The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
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, finished as runner-up 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 in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury 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 could not to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
