Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season

A competitive moment for Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open

The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to severe spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing positive results.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing 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 a match," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."

"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."

He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.

"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.

"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."

Laura Simmons
Laura Simmons

Award-winning voice artist and audio producer with over a decade of experience in broadcasting and digital media.

Popular Post