The Greek tennis star Seriously Considered Walking Away During Injury-Plagued Campaign
The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
The tennis professional disclosed he thought about 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.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding positive results.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear centered on if I was able to finish a match," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That is the moment start reconsidering your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal for 2026 would be to not have concerns over completing bouts," 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.
"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
