Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe 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 at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," he added, noting the injury 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 could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. 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 my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."