The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.
At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his early exit at the US Open in August, he stated that ongoing treatment has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"I'm most excited lies in seeing how my training responds during actual training concerning my back," commented Tsitsipas.
"My primary worry centered on if I could complete an encounter," the athlete continued, noting the injury plagued him "for the past six to eight months."
"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match pain-free?'"
"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to move for two days. That's when you start reconsidering the path ahead."
Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team in the United Cup, where they face Team Japan led by Osaka and the British team captained by Raducanu. The competition will be held in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.
"My main goal next season is to not have concerns about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It is incredibly encouraging to know you had a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. 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 where I was. I will attempt everything to make it happen."
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Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard
Michelle Beard