The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During 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 because of severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.
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 36th in the world following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
