The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Pain-Filled 2025 Season

A competitive moment for Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain 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 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.

"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened after the defeat 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 five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.

"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.

"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.

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

Sandra Harrington
Sandra Harrington

A tech journalist and digital culture analyst with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their societal impacts.