The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport due to 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 alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training holds up under regular practice concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"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 being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. 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 where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."