Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues during the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
