🔗 Share this article The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Pain-Filled Campaign The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed. The tennis professional disclosed he thought about ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the 2025 tennis year. The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against 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 second-round departure at the US Open in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress. "My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas. "The biggest fear centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past six to eight months." "I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'" "I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question the path ahead." He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free. His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities in early January, just before the season's first major. "My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he stated. "It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship. "The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."