Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, 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 second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
