The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement During Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing 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 Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal next season is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."