Stefanos Tsitsipas considered quitting tennis during injury-hit 2025
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Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas returning the ball to Italy's Jannik Sinner during the quarter-final of the Six Kings Slam exhibition tennis tournament in Riyadh on Oct 15, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
PERTH – Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed that he seriously considered retiring from tennis in the depths of a struggle with serious back pain during much of the 2025 season.
But the former world No. 3, now ranked 36th after playing just two competitive matches since a second-round exit at the US Open
“I’m most excited to see how my actual training responds with regard to my back,” the 27-year-old said on Jan 1, as he prepared to open his 2026 campaign for Greece at the mixed-team United Cup in Perth, Australia.
“My biggest concern was if I could finish a match,” added the 2023 Australian Open finalist
“I would ask: ‘Can I play another match without pain?’ I got really scared after the US Open loss (to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier). I could not walk for two days. That’s when you reconsider the future of your career.”
Tsitsipas said that after various medical consultations, he was now satisfied with his current care plan.
“My biggest win for 2026 would be to not have to worry about finishing matches,” he said, adding that he completed five weeks of off-season training without pain.
“It makes great feedback knowing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it stays that way. I want to deliver for 2026 and the United Cup.
“I put in the work. The most important thing is full belief that I can come back to where I was. I will try everything to do that.”
Greece have become regulars in the four-year history of the United Cup, played in Perth and Sydney, with fellow comeback hopeful Maria Sakkari, also a former world No. 3, joining Tsitsipas in the team.
“We are here again, with a good team and great spirit. We are prepared for war – we are Greek. We’re going big,” Tsitsipas said.
Greece are grouped with Naomi Osaka’s Japan and the Emma Raducanu-led Britain.
An excited Osaka, who is ranked world No. 16, will lean on family ties when she kicks off her season against 52nd-ranked Sakkari.
The 28-year-old, who won Australian Open titles in 2019 and 2021, said she was taking inspiration from her 2½-year-old daughter Shai as she began the new year.
“My daughter is an incentive, she’s (always) in the back of my mind. There are a lot of incredible mums on the tour,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who ended her 2025 season in mid-October owing to a left leg injury.
She last faced Sakkari in 2021 with the Greek player, now ranked 52nd, dropping just four games in a resounding quarter-final win in Miami.
Osaka said her off-season had been a balancing act, but that she was feeling good.
“I was able to spend time with my daughter while I recovered from a long season, even if I didn’t play the entire thing,” said the former world No. 1.
“My form will hopefully be good in my matches. I feel in shape and excited for the upcoming season.”
Osaka had originally entered the ASB Classic in Auckland to kick off her season heading into the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan 18, but had a change of plan. AFP
