The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued 2025 Season
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of severe spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against 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 lies in seeing how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
