Stefanos Tsitsipas ‘stopped enjoying’ tennis as ATP star opens up on injury concerns
Stefanos Tsitsipas has admitted he “stopped enjoying” playing tennis during what proved to be an injury-disrupted 2025 campaign for the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Former world No 3 Tsitsipas was a mainstay towards the top of the men’s game for several seasons, but after falling outside the top 10 towards the end of 2024, struggled further across 2025.
The Greek briefly returned to the top 10 following his triumph at the Dubai Tennis Championships in March 2025, but then his form noticeably dipped amid struggles with a lingering back injury.
The 27-year-old was stunned by Matteo Gigante in the second round of the French Open last May, before retiring with injury when facing Valentin Royer in the opening round of Wimbledon that summer.
Tsitsipas was also beaten in round two of the US Open, falling to Daniel Altmaier in five sets, and then did not play again in 2025 following two Davis Cup singles matches in early September due to his back issue.
The Greek amassed — by his own high standards — a disappointing 22-18 record for the season, and finished the year ranked 36th in the world, down 25 places from the start of the 2025.
Currently ranked 32nd in the world, Tsitsipas is looking to surge back up the rankings, and started his ongoing Rotterdam Open campaign with a confident 7-5, 6-3 win over eighth seed Arthur Rinderknech on Wednesday.
Speaking to Bolavip after his victory, the Greek revealed it had been “odd and frustrating” to spend the final months of 2025 on the sidelines, looking to recover from his back concern.
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“Well, I had a big period without playing tennis, which I never had before during my career,” said the Greek.
“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.
“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’s struggles were noticeable for several months across 2025, despite an apparent resurgence with his victory in Dubai.
The Greek dropped out of the top 10 after falling in the quarter-final of his Monte Carlo Masters title defence in April, and never looked close to rediscovering his best tennis.
Tsitsipas’s injury issues weren’t initially evident, but as the season progressed, it became apparent that his back issue was significantly affecting his form.
There have been positive signs at the start of 2026, with the Greek now having won seven of his nine matches contested this season.
But the former Australian Open and French Open finalist has revealed he had significant doubts about his health and future heading into 2026.
He added: “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 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.”
After beating Rinderknech in his opening Rotterdam match, Tsitsipas will look to reach the quarter-final of the ATP 500 event when he faces home favourite Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday.
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