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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of severe spinal pain during the season.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure at the US Open this past summer, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.

"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," commented Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry was whether I was able to finish an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past six to eight months."

"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question your career's future."

He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.

"The greatest victory for 2026 is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.

"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – 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 in my ability to get back to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."