The Greek tennis star Contemplated Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of severe back issues throughout the season.
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 and the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training holds up under actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."
