Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled 2025 Season

The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of severe spinal pain throughout the season.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist 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 second-round departure at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.

His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.

"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver 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 attempt everything to achieve that."