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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating spinal pain during 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 since his second-round departure in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.

"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my body responds during regular practice with regard to my injury," 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 six to eight months."

"I kept asking, 'Can I compete in another match pain-free?'"

"I became truly frightened following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

His next appearance for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, just before the Australian Open.

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

"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you had an off-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 crucial element is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."