By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) -Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas said he has no answers to his ongoing fitness problems after being forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match on Monday due to a back injury.
Former world number three Tsitsipas, seeded 24th this year, was trailing 6-3 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer when he decided enough was enough.
The twice Grand Slam runner-up cut a disconsolate figure as he spoke to reporters.
“I’m battling many wars these days. It’s really painful to see myself in a situation like this,” he said.
“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.”
Tsitsipas said he has been struggling with a lower back injury since withdrawing from the ATP Tour Finals in 2023 and despite winning the Dubai title this year, his fitness issues have coincided with a slide in the rankings.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“Tennis is a rotational sport, and if you can’t rotate, then there’s no reason playing it.”
Tsitsipas has recently started working with Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
“He’s great. We’re having a great time. I am very disappointed that I wasn’t able to show my potential the way I deserve to play on the court,” Tsitsipas said.
Tsitsipas has reached only won quarter-final in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments and his hopes of playing in the U.S. Open now appear to be in jeopardy.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
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