Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of 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 in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
