The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic at both 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 in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," commented 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 half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. 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."
