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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe back issues throughout the 2025 tennis year.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up 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 after a limited schedule post a early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.

"I'm most excited is to observe how my body responds during regular practice concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.

"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."

"I would wonder, 'Am I able to play another contest without discomfort?'"

"It was genuinely scary after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That is the moment begin to question the path ahead."

He also reported being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.

"My main goal for 2026 would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season in good health – I hope it continues. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.

"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."