The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport due to debilitating 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 at both 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 this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under actual training with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. 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 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 captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. 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 try all means to achieve that."
