Stefanos Tsitsipas retired from his first-round Wimbledon match against French qualifier Valentin Royer. The Greek star was losing 6-3, 6-2 when he could no longer continue due to a back injury that has affected his game for nearly two years. At the press conference, the former World No. 3 opened up about his struggles and hinted at a possible break from professional tennis.
The 26-year-old, currently ranked No. 26 worldwide, spoke with raw emotion about his situation. “I’m fighting a lot of wars these days,” Tsitsipas said after his retirement. “It’s really painful to see myself in a situation like this. I feel like I’m left without answers. I don’t know. I’ve tried everything.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s Health Battle That Started Two Years Ago
Tsitsipas revealed that his physical troubles began during the ATP Finals in Turin in 2023, when he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a back injury. Since then, he has been dealing with what he calls an “ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to be disappearing or fading.”
The Greek player described the severity of his condition following that 2023 withdrawal. “For the next few days after the ATP Finals, I was struggling to wake up and get out of bed,” he said in a previous interview. “The amount of pain I was going through for one to two weeks was very big.”
Despite winning the Dubai title earlier this year, his first ATP 500 championship and 12th career title, Tsitsipas has seen his ranking drop significantly. He has reached only one quarterfinal in his past nine Grand Slam tournaments.
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The former World No. 3 has dropped to 26th in the rankings after consistent struggles with injuries.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Says He’s Running Out of Answers and Options
What concerns Tsitsipas’s situation is his sense of helplessness despite exhaustive efforts to find a solution. “It’s hard to describe. I’m fighting a lot of wars these days. It’s really painful to find myself in a situation like this. One thing I really hate to do is retire or stop a match, but I’ve never imagined myself in a situation like this,” he explained. “If I see it continue like this, there’s no point in competing.”
The emotional toll of his ongoing struggles was clear as he spoke to reporters. “I feel like I’ve run out of answers. I don’t know. I’ve tried everything. I’ve done an incredible job with my fitness. I’ve done an incredible job with my physical therapy, so I’ve maximized everything I could do. Now I don’t have any answers. I don’t know what to do,” Tsitsipas said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says he’s been trying everything to get healthy, but he’s out of answers, ‘If I see it continue like this, there’s no point in competing’
“It’s hard to describe. I’m fighting a lot of wars these days. It’s really painful to find myself in a situation like… pic.twitter.com/ouINpfuv6k
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 30, 2025
Tsitsipas has recently started working with Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic’s former coach, in hopes of turning things around. The Croatian joined his team ahead of the grass-court season after Tsitsipas suffered an early exit at the French Open.
