Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating spinal pain during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [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 satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
