The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled 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.
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.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, '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 walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan 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.
"The greatest victory next season would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-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 complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
