The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career due to debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
