Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement During Pain-Filled Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career due to severe back issues during the season.
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.
Now ranked 36th in the world following minimal competition post a second-round departure at the US Open in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice concerning my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," he stated.
"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
