By Richard Pagliaro Thursday, January 1, 2026
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Cue painful and premature ending Stefanos Tsitsipas Considered quitting tennis last season.
Chronic back problems left Tsitsipas in so much pain that he said he briefly considered giving up.
“My biggest worry is whether I can finish a game,” Tsitsipas told media in Perth ahead of leading Greece in the Confederations Cup. “I would ask: ‘Can I play one more match without pain?’ I was really scared after losing the U.S. Open [to Daniel Altmaier].
“I couldn’t walk for two days. That’s when you rethink your professional future.”
In fact, the former world No. 3 is suffering from back problems and has failed to reach the second round in his last nine matches in 2025. Tsitsipas played just two matches, both Davis Cup matches, before bowing out in 2025 after losing to Daniel Altmaier 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7.
The 27-year-old Tsitsipas started the 2025 season ranked 11th, but due to a back injury, the former French Open and Australian Open finalist failed to reach the second round of the four Grand Slam tournaments this season, so his ranking fell to 36th.
Tsitsipas said he was glad he was able to train pain-free in December and hoped he would be pain-free during this year’s competition.
“It’s great feedback to know you’ve had a pain-free pre-season – I hope it stays that way,” Tsitsipas told the media in Perth. “I want to contribute to 2026 and the Confederations Cup.
“I put in the work. The most important thing is having complete faith that I can get back to where I was. I’m going to do whatever it takes to do that.”
during an interview Russian sports network Last month, Tsitsipas’s mother, Julia Salnikovasaid her son was receiving expert treatment Dr. Hans Wilhelm Müller Wolfrat In Munich, he did not require surgery for inflammation of the cartilage sheath in his back. Sarnikova said her son’s back problems were caused by his tendency to fall to the left during his serving motion. The family hopes the recent treatment will allow him to play without pain.
“The problem was resolved without surgery. Stefanos was very pleased with this – he was tired enough to undergo surgery.” Sarnikova told Sports.ru. “It’s great that he’s not feeling unwell now because before this, even in normal life, he was feeling unwell because of his back problems.”
