Stefanos Tsitsipas Contemplated Retirement During Pain-Filled 2025 Season

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

Currently placed as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition post a second-round departure in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.

"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, noting the injury plagued him "over the last six to eight months."

"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match without discomfort?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."

He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.

His next appearance for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.

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

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the United Cup.

"I have done the work. The most important thing is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."