Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with 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 captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"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 without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
