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The tennis professional disclosed he pondered ending his career because of debilitating spinal pain throughout the season.

The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up against Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked as the world's 36th best player after a limited schedule since his early exit in New York in August, he stated continuous medical care is finally showing encouraging progress.

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

"The biggest fear centered on if I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "for the past half a year or more."

"I kept asking, 'Am I able to play in another match without discomfort?'"

"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to move for two days. That's when you begin to question the path ahead."

He also reported satisfaction regarding his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of off-season preparation completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete with the Greek team at the team event, drawn against Naomi Osaka's Japan and the British team led by Emma Raducanu. The competition takes place across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the season's first major.

"My main goal next season would be to not have concerns about finishing matches," he stated.

"It provides fantastic feedback to know you completed a pre-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver in 2026 and at the team championship.

"The effort is invested. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to my previous level. I will try all means to make it happen."