Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my training responds during actual training with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
