TENNIS: Tsitsipas eyes fresh start in 2026 after injury-hit season

Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas is looking to rediscover his best form in 2026 after a back injury disrupted his season last year.

The former world number three played only two singles matches for Greece in the Davis Cup in September, following a second-round exit at the U.S. Open in August, before taking time off to recover.

Now ranked 36th in the world, Tsitsipas will lead Greece at the United Cup in Perth and Sydney from January 2 to 11, the week ahead of the Australian Open.

“The last three or four tournaments of the season, I could barely hold up,” the 27-year-old told tournament organizers. “So it was important to try and find something that will bring me back healthy. I took all the necessary steps to rehabilitate and return to the level I remember myself being.”

Tsitsipas managed only two wins at the Grand Slam tournaments last year and retired in the first round at Wimbledon.

In July, the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open runner-up reunited with his father, Apostolos, as his coach after ending a brief stint with Goran Ivanisevic, who helped Novak Djokovic win nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles.

“I got really scared after my U.S. Open loss with my back, because I just couldn’t walk for two days,” Tsitsipas said. “When things like that happen, you start reconsidering the future of your career. That’s my biggest wish for 2026 — to finish matches and not have to worry about any issues with my back.”

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing/Reuters