Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
