The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last 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's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
