The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to severe spinal pain 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.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-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 complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
