New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted he contemplated ending his career after struggling with serious back pain throughout the 2025 season. The 27-year-old, who has reached as high as No. 3 in the world rankings, was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked 36th in the world after playing just two Davis Cup matches since a second-round exit at the US Open in August, he said he is finally seeing progress through ongoing medical treatment.

“I’m most excited to see how my actual training responds about my back. My biggest concern was if I could finish a match,” Tsisipas, who revealed the injury haunted him “for the last six or eight months,” told the BBC.

“I would ask, ‘Can I play another match without pain? I got really scared after the US Open loss [to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier]. I could not walk for two days. That’s when you reconsider the future of your career,” he added.

Tsitsipas said he was pleased with his current treatment plan after completing five weeks of pain-free off-season training. He is set to represent Greece in the United Cup, where they will face Naomi Osaka’s Japan and Emma Raducanu’s Great Britain in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week before the Australian Open.

Eighteen national teams, each with up to three women’s and three men’s players, will compete in a group stage followed by a knockout round. Matches in Perth are scheduled at RAC Arena, while those in Sydney will be played at Ken Rosewall Arena.

During the group stage, 18 teams were divided into six groups of three in a round-robin format. Groups A, C, and E will compete in Perth, while groups B, D, and F will compete in Sydney. The top team from each group, along with the best runner-up in each city, will move on to the quarterfinals.

Perth will hold its two quarterfinal matches on January 7, with the winners advancing to Sydney for the semifinals and final. Teams moving from Perth will have a travel and rest day on January 8-9. The Sydney quarterfinals are set for January 8-9, followed by the semifinals on January 10 and the final on January 11.

–IANS

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