The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe back issues throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period 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 captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
