Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish a match," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest 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 is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
