The Greek tennis star Contemplated Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
Stefanos Tsitsipas was the 26th seed at last year's US Open
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport due to debilitating spinal pain during the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.
Now ranked as the world's 36th best player following minimal competition since his early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body holds up under regular practice with regard to my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish an encounter," he added, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."
He also reported satisfaction regarding the present treatment regimen after finishing five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had 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 crucial element is total belief in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to make it happen."
