The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist 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 following minimal competition since his early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
