The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain during the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition post a second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
