Stefanos Tsitsipas’ struggles continued at Wimbledon 2025, where the former World No. 3 was forced to retire from his opening-round match against France’s Valentin Royer (No. 113). Tsitsipas was down 6-3, 6-2 before withdrawing due to ongoing physical issues, marking another low point in what has become a difficult stretch of his career.
The 25-year-old has battled a series of injuries and a noticeable dip in confidence since reaching the ATP Finals in Turin several seasons ago. After the match, Tsitsipas opened up about the toll it’s taken on him both physically and mentally.
“It’s tough to describe. I’m battling many wars these days,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s really painful to see myself in a situation like this. One thing that I absolutely hate doing is retiring or stopping a match, but I’ve never pictured myself being in a situation like this multiple times since the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin a couple of years back”.
“Since that time, I’ve been very fragile with my body, and I’ve been battling a war of feeling healthy and feeling comfortable going to the extremes, which has been a difficult battle,” he continued.
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece retires due physical issues against Valentin Royer of France during Wimbledon. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
While the current season has been filled with setbacks, there were flashes of the talent that once carried Tsitsipas to the top three in the world. In March, he won the ATP 500 title in Dubai with a win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, and followed that up with a quarterfinal run at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he fell to Lorenzo Musetti. Still, chronic back issues have severely hampered his ability to compete consistently.
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“So I really don’t know. I feel like I’m left without 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 physiotherapy, so I’ve maximized on everything that I possibly can do. Right now I’m just absolutely left with no answers. I don’t know what to do,” the Greek star added.
Tsitsipas considering retirement
Tsitsipas’ recent comments also suggested he’s contemplating the possibility of stepping away from the sport if his health doesn’t improve. “It’s probably the most difficult situation that I’ve ever been faced with, because it’s an ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to be disappearing or fading off as much,” he said, referencing his back. “Myself, as a person, I have a limit at some point, so I’ll definitely have to have my final answer on whether I want to do stuff or not in the next couple of months”.
“This is going to be hard, but if I see it going in that trajectory, there is no point at competing. If I’m not healthy, and I’ve talked about health so many times, if health is not there, then your whole tennis life becomes miserable,” he added.
