The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to severe spinal pain during the 2025 tennis year.
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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete 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 will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
