The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away Amid Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe back issues during the season.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I was able to finish 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 pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of an extended period of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities in early January, just before the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."
