The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to debilitating spinal pain during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition since his early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled 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 after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
