🔗 Share this article

The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport because of debilitating back issues during the 2025 tennis year.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "over the last six to eight months."

"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the season's first major.

"My main goal next season would be to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated.

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

"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."