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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about ending his career because of severe spinal pain throughout 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 in August, Tsitsipas indicated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding positive results.

"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear was whether I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play another contest pain-free?'"

"I became truly frightened after the defeat in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you begin to question your career's future."

He also reported being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of pre-season training without any pain.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad captained by Raducanu. The tournament will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.

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

"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the team championship.

"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will attempt everything to make it happen."