Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe back issues throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during regular practice concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
