His dream of a successful Wimbledon run turned into another nightmare, as he lost the first two sets (6-3, 6-2) against Frenchman Valentin Royer in his opening match in London and ultimately retired before the third set due to lower back discomfort.

In a deeply disappointed mood during the official press conference, the Greek champion admitted he is at rock bottom in his career.

“As a human being, I also have my limits. I need to make a final decision about whether I want to continue in the coming months. If I see that things keep going in the same direction, then there’s no point in competing anymore,” he said, clearly overwhelmed and hinting strongly at a possible early retirement. “If you’re not healthy, your entire tennis life becomes miserable.”

The 2023 Australian Open and 2021 Roland Garros finalist has been suffering from a chronic issue on the left side of his lower back — an injury that seems to persist and significantly limit him.

“I’ve fought a lot lately, and it’s painful to see myself in this condition. One of the things I hate most is retiring from a match. I never imagined this would happen to me so many times, especially since the ATP Finals in Turin two years ago. Since then, I’ve felt physically fragile. It’s a constant battle just to feel healthy and able to give 100%, and it’s really tough,” he said, continuing in the same tone: “I feel like I’ve tried everything. I’ve worked hard with my trainer and physiotherapist. I’ve exhausted every option and right now I have no answers. I don’t know what to do.”

Tsitsipas ruled out the possibility of surgery, stating that the damage has already been done, and he pinpointed the turning point to post-US Open 2024:

“That’s when it all started. It shows how physically demanding the tour is on the body.”

He also spoke about his new coach, Croatian Goran Ivanišević, who joined his team during the grass-court season:

“Goran is fantastic. We get along really well. I’m very disappointed I couldn’t show my game, couldn’t play the way I deserve. As much as he gives me confidence, if I don’t feel physically good, I can’t show anything on the court.”