The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe spinal pain during the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, 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 following minimal competition since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."