Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career due to severe back issues throughout the season.
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.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging 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.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."