The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule post a early exit at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training holds up under regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of pre-season training without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"The greatest victory for 2026 would be to not have concerns 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 aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
