The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma 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 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."