The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body holds up under actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, '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 could not to move for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held 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 stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
