Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During 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 because of debilitating back issues throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan 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 British team captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for 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 achieve that."
