The athlete entered the previous US Open as the 26th seed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he thought about quitting the sport because of debilitating back issues during the 2025 tennis year.
The 27-year-old, who has reached a career-high ranking of world number three, finished as runner-up to Novak Djokovic at both the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Currently placed 36th in the world after a limited schedule post a second-round departure in New York this past summer, he stated continuous medical care has begun yielding encouraging progress.
"My greatest anticipation is to observe how my training responds during regular practice concerning my injury," said Tsitsipas.
"The biggest fear was whether I was able to finish an encounter," he added, explaining the pain plagued him "for the past half a year or more."
"I would wonder, 'Can I compete another contest pain-free?'"
"I became truly frightened following the loss at the US Open [to Germany's Daniel Altmaier]. I was unable to walk for two days. That's when you begin to question your career's future."
He also reported being content with his current recovery plan following the completion of five weeks of off-season preparation without any pain.
His next appearance with the Greek team in the United Cup, drawn against Team Japan led by Osaka and the Great Britain squad led by Emma Raducanu. The competition will be held across Australian cities from 2 to 11 January, the week preceding the Australian Open.
"My main goal for 2026 is to stop worrying about finishing matches," he expressed.
"It provides fantastic feedback to know you had an off-season without pain – I hope it continues. I want to deliver during the upcoming season and for the team championship.
"I have done the work. The most important thing is total belief that I can return to where I was. I will try all means to achieve that."
A seasoned casino enthusiast and gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and slot games.