Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of 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 this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver 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 where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
