The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled 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.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks 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 will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, just before the season's first major.
"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
