The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe back issues throughout the season.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.

"The greatest victory next season would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback realizing 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 total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."