If things continue like this, there's no point in playing," Tsitsipas dejected after Wimbledon withdrawal due to back injury

Stefanos Tsitsipas had to retire in the first round of Wimbledon against Valentin Royer after losing the first two sets.

A back injury prevented him from performing at 100% on court this Monday. Speaking to the media after his withdrawal, the Greek player was disheartened:

"It’s very painful to see myself in this situation. I hate having to retire or stop a match. But I never imagined I’d find myself in this position since the ATP Finals a few years ago. Since then, my body has been very fragile, and I’ve been fighting to stay healthy.

I feel like I have no answers. I’ve done incredible work with my physio. But right now, I have no solution. This is probably the toughest situation I’ve ever faced. It’s a problem that will never go away.

As a person, I have limits. So I’ll have to decide whether there are certain things I want to do or not in the next two months. It’s going to be hard. But if things continue like this, there’s no point in playing. If you’re not healthy, your life as a tennis player becomes miserable. [...]

It’s exactly the same problem Arthur Fils had at Roland-Garros. I’m not considering surgery because the damage is done.