Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe back issues throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against 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 second-round departure in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, '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 move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece at the team event, 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.
"My main goal next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."