Stefanos Tstisipas pondered future of career while sidelined, says father is “much better communicator” now

For Stefanos Tsitsipas, nothing much about 2025 came together as he hoped.

A two-time major finalist, the Greek went just 2-4 on the Grand Slam stage—with one of those defeats coming via retirement at Wimbledon. Tsitsipas would later end the year outside of the Top 30, his lowest finish since 2017, as an ongoing back issue prematurely cut his season short.

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The nagging injury and its enduring setbacks forced him to ponder his next steps.

“There were phases during the year where I was asking myself, ‘why am I doing this, and why am I putting myself through so much pain?’ Pain is not an enjoyable thing when you're an athlete and especially when it keeps coming back and reverting constantly,” Tsitsipas told reporters Thursday in Perth during Team Greece’s United Cup media day press conference.

“I got really scared after my US Open loss with my back, because I just couldn't walk for two days. When things like that happen, you start reconsidering the future of your career.”

Read More: Tsitsipas hits "limit" after Wimbledon retirement: "There's no point to competing"

If I'm not able to compete, one day I guess I'll have to put a stop at it. I don't want this to happen. I want to continue hopefully for 10 more years. That would be amazing. That would be a dream of mine.

The 27-year-old shared that he completed his pre-season “without any discomfort” following a period of recovery and rehabilitation. His biggest wish for the New Year, naturally, is to reach the point of not second-guessing whether his back will hold up.

A similar question regarding stability could be asked about his team. In July 2025, the former world No. 3 reconciled with his father Apostolos 11 months after their player-coach relationship had ended. The elder Tsitsipas returned to take the reins following Goran Ivanisevic’s exit two months in.

Tsitsipas commented that the dynamic between the two has been “great” so far in its latest chapter.

“I don't have any complaints. He's a much better communicator. That was the most important thing working with him,” he said.

“Working with family is never easy, and it's one of those challenging things that you have to tackle daily to separate the father role from the coaching role. I think it is important to sit down also and have a person in the team that can help filter the conversations and the way you communicate between one another. That is something that I've included in my team, as well.”

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Come Friday evening at RAC Arena, Tsitsipas will take the court for the first time since dropping a Davis Cup Play-off match to Joao Fonseca. The Athens native is set to face Shintaro Mochizuki, with teammate Maria Sakkari due to meet Naomi Osaka in the opening clash.