Five years ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed destined to be a Grand Slam champion. Now, fans are wondering if he’ll retire before he turns 28.
Tsitsipas, the former world No. 3, had a brutal 2025 season to say the least. Not only did he suffer early exits at all four major tournaments, he suffered a back injury that limited his explosiveness on the court.
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“Well, I had a big period without playing tennis, which I never had before during my career. I felt like I was away from the court and the competition, and all of a sudden I was just an observer of tennis and the ATP Tour instead of being a participant,” Tsitsipas told Bolavip. “It did feel very odd and frustrating, because I couldn’t do much. My back is like it is and there are only a certain amount of things I can do, but if my back refuses to get better and refuses to heal, the only thing I can do is wait and visit as many doctors as possible who are specialists in this area.”
Tsitsipas also revealed that he was uncertain about his career during the 2025 season. He just wanted to keep the focus on his health, not his game.
“I had a lot of uncertainty for many months. I have had it for a while, even when I won the tournament in Dubai. I was not sure if I could sustain that level or even keep playing. It kept getting worse during the spring, so I stopped enjoying the game,” the two-time Grand Slam finalist added. “The game becomes less important and health becomes the most important thing in your life, but even early this year I still had a lot of uncertainty about my future.”
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Stefanos Tsitsipas, of Greece, returns to Fabian Marozsan, of Hungry, during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on Aug. 9, 2025.
After hearing these comments from Tsitsipas, fans are convinced early retirement is on the table.
“Tsitsipas needs to retire the sport He doesn’t love it, no fight and no passion anymore,” one fan said.
“Retire Tsitsipas your health is more important,” a second fan wrote.
“Stefanos Tsitsipas should retire from tennis at this point,” another fan declared.
The comeback starts now.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tsitsipas secured a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Arthur Rinderknech in the second round of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
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Tsitsipas will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the Round of 16 on Friday. There’s no question the crowd will be on van de Zandschulp’s side.
We’ll see if Tsitsipas continues his winning ways this February.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Tennis section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
