The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of severe spinal pain throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up 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 second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"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 an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities 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 provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
