"Stepping onto the court and immediately feeling discomfort destroys me mentally," Tsitsipas reflects on his back injury

Adrien Guyot

le 11/09/2025 à 07h34

2 min to read

Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas is enduring a difficult 2025 season, marred by a recurring back injury that forced him to retire in his first-round match at Wimbledon against Valentin Royer.

The Greek player, who has dropped to 27th in the world rankings, is searching for the right formula after ending his collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic to return to working with his father, Apostolos. Despite winning a title in Dubai, the 27-year-old Tsitsipas has not particularly shone since the start of the season. The two-time Grand Slam finalist recently opened up about his physical struggles.

"I feel better physically than I did two or three weeks ago. The US Open was tough for me because I stepped onto the court with a lot of doubts about my ability to finish my first match.

I had very negative thoughts because I expected to be in much better shape after my back injury. Against Altmaier, I had to receive medical treatment twice, and honestly, I've been dealing with a lot of unpleasant things for weeks that people have no idea about.

I'm managing my injury, trying to find a way to heal, consulting many specialists, and doing everything I can to fully understand what's happening to me. During the training sessions leading up to the US Open, I was in very good form, but as soon as I started playing, the problems returned.

I feel a lot of stress and anxiety, and I think that has an influence, as does the lack of confidence in my tennis after having won almost no matches in recent months.

Stepping onto the court and immediately feeling discomfort destroys me mentally. I've been dedicating a lot of effort and countless hours to my rehabilitation for a long time. Mentally, seeing that I'm still not fit to play after all that deeply destabilizes me.

I recently experienced a trauma, and I can't promise much about what I'll be able to do in the Davis Cup tie (against Brazil in Group I).

I wanted to distance myself from social media, which I used as a refuge to escape all the stress I felt because of my injury, and I found myself spending hours on my phone watching videos.

Stepping away from it is a matter of mental health, and I want to inspire other young people to do the same," Tsitsipas assured in recent hours in an interview with Punto de Break.