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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of severe spinal pain throughout the season.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist to 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 post a second-round departure in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care is finally showing positive results.

"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."

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

"I became truly frightened after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for 48 hours. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with the present treatment regimen following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.

His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities in early January, the week preceding the Australian Open.

"The greatest victory for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I aim to perform during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.

"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will attempt everything to achieve that."