Stefanos Tsitsipas Seriously Considered Retirement Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he pondered quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to 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 post a early exit in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.
"I'm most excited is to observe how my body holds up under actual training with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "over the last six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.
He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.
"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
