Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during regular practice concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete 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 two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
