The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of severe spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up 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 post a early exit at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.

"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body responds during 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 "over the last half a year or more."

"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."

He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of pre-season training 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 captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.

"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season without pain – 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 complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."