Stefanos Tsitsipas admits he seriously considered retiring in 2025 due to injuries
Stefanos Tsitsipas says he considered retiring from tennis due to severe back pain during the 2025 season.
The 27-year-old is currently ranked as high as third in the world and finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
He has played just two Davis Cup matches since exiting in the second round of the U.S. Open in August and is currently ranked 36th in the world and said he is finally seeing progress through continued medical treatment.
“What I’m most excited about is seeing how my back responds to my actual training,” Tsitsipas said.
“My biggest concern is whether I can finish a match,” added Tsitsipas, who said injuries have been bothering him “for the last six to eight months”.
“I’d ask, ‘Can I play one more game without pain?'”
“I was really scared after losing the U.S. Open [to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier]. I couldn’t walk for two days. That’s when you reconsider the future of your career. “
Tsitsipas added that he is happy with his current care plan after completing five weeks of offseason training without pain.
He will compete in the Fed Cup for Greece, which is grouped with Japan, led by Naomi Osaka, and Great Britain, led by Emma Raducanu, in Perth and Sydney from January 2 to 11, a week before the Australian Open.
“My biggest victory in 2026 is not having to worry about finishing,” he said.
“It’s great feedback knowing you’ve had a pain-free pre-season – I hope it stays that way. I want to contribute to 2026 and the Confederations Cup.”
“I put in the work. The most important thing is having complete faith that I can get back to where I was. I’m going to do whatever it takes to do that.”
