🔗 Share this article

The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career due to debilitating back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against 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 since his early exit in New York this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.

"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," 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 without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.

"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – 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 where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."