Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Injury-Plagued 2025 Season

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain during the season.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

Currently placed 36th in the world following minimal competition since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.

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

"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."

He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.

"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.

"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.

"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."