Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his second-round departure in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk 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 off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."
