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

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist against Novak Djokovic at both 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 at the US Open in August, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my body holds up under regular practice concerning my back," said Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," the athlete continued, noting the injury had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Can I compete another contest without discomfort?'"

"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's when you begin to question your career's future."

He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition takes place in Perth and Sydney in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.

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

"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.

"The effort is invested. The most important thing is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."