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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he pondered quitting the sport because of severe back issues during the season.

At 27 years old, the player once ranked as high as third globally, was a finalist to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open alongside the 2023 Australian Open.

Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule since his second-round departure in New York in August, Tsitsipas indicated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.

"I'm most excited is to observe how my training holds up under regular practice with regard to my injury," said Tsitsipas.

"The biggest fear was whether I could complete a match," he added, explaining the pain had troubled him "over the last half a year or more."

"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"

"It was genuinely scary following the loss in Flushing Meadows [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I could not to walk for 48 hours. That is the moment start reconsidering the path ahead."

Tsitsipas further mentioned being content with his current recovery plan after finishing an extended period of pre-season training completely pain-free.

He is scheduled to compete for Greece in the United Cup, where they face Naomi Osaka's Japan and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, just before the season's first major.

"The greatest victory next season is to stop worrying over completing bouts," he expressed.

"It is incredibly encouraging realizing you completed an off-season without pain – I wish for it to last. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the United Cup.

"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief in my ability to get back to my previous level. I will attempt everything to achieve that."