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The tennis professional disclosed he thought about quitting the sport due to severe spinal pain throughout the season.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, was a finalist 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 early exit in New York in August, he stated that ongoing treatment is finally showing encouraging progress.

"My greatest anticipation lies in seeing how my body responds during actual training concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.

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

"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"

"It was genuinely scary after the defeat at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for two days. That's when you start reconsidering your career's future."

He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of an extended period of pre-season training without any pain.

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

"The greatest victory next season would be to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.

"It provides fantastic feedback realizing you completed a pre-season in good health – I wish for it to last. I aim to perform in 2026 and at the team championship.

"The effort is invested. The crucial element is complete faith that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to achieve that."