Stefanos Tsitsipas’ wish for 2026 is simple: “To be able to finish my matches without having to think about back problems. The former world no.3, now no.36, is awaiting his debut in the United Cup (all broadcast, free-to-air, on SuperTennis) where he will defend the colors of Greece in Group E which includes Japan and Great Britain. On the morning of January 2, the first match will be against the Japanese.
In the press conference before the tournament, in Perth, he made no secret of the physical problems that have kept him sidelined for the last three months, saying that he had also had difficulties in everyday life. So much so that he had to “reconsider the future of his career” after he found himself unable to even walk for two days following his defeat in the second round of the US Open, in five sets against Daniel Altmaier.
“For the last eight months I have always wondered if I would be able to finish a match, or if I would be able to return to the field for the next round in case of victory – he confessed -. I wondered if it was worth continuing to endure all this pain, which is never good for a professional athlete. In fact, I believe that if the suffering continues, if I am not able to compete, I will retire”.
“But I don’t want to do it,” he also said. “I saw one of the best doctors in the world of sports, and he promised me that I will heal. Knowing that I went the entire off-season without pain is feedback, it would be a dream to play for another 10 years.” Just as it is a dream for him to be able to represent Greece once again: “For us, a small country with a not too important tennis tradition, being here fighting for the United Cup is one of the greatest privileges there is.”
A privilege that Tsitsipas will try to enjoy from the first match against the Japanese Shintaro Mochizuki, also knowing that his brother Petros will be there on the bench with him, as captain. Speaking of family, however, the two-time Slam finalist also wanted to talk about his father Apostolos, who has returned to being his “main” coach in recent months, even more so after the failed “test” with Goran Ivanisevic: “In the past I have made mistakes that I should have avoided: it is difficult to separate the kinship from the coach-tennis player relationship, and our problem has always been that we have strong characters and we always want to have our say. Now, however, we are managing things better.”
