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 ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout 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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training holds up under regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal next season 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 team championship.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
