Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted that he was surprised to be on the court and competing at the 2024 Australian Open following a serious back injury at the 2023 ATP Finals.
In his second group stage match against Holger Rune at the ATP Finals in November, Tsitsipas withdrew due to a back complaint that left him bedridden for a period. The initial severity of the injury meant the Greek player was expected to be off the court for a sustained period.
But the 25-year-old made a miraculous recovery and bested lucky loser Zizou Bergs across four sets in his Australian Open first-round clash on Monday.
It was a welcome moment for Tsitsipas, who missed part of the United Cup to get fit for the Australian Open, and the current world number seven explained he didn't think he would be back competing this quickly.
"My recovery has kind of been insane. I’m talking on behalf of players that have had this injury in the past. I have spoken to a few of them. It’s something that tennis players are faced with at some period of their career.”
“It’s an injury that’s more common than I initially thought. My recovery has been astonishing, in a way, because it’s been quicker than any other player. I have done anything that I had under my control to get back on court as soon as possible.”
Although Tsitsipas had to make sacrifices to get fit again and overcome his back injury, he said it was a difficult pre-season period. However, when looking ahead, last season's Australian Open finalist feels he is on track to rediscover his best form.
"It was a tricky part during the preseason to be faced with something like this. But now I’m healthy. I’m heading in the right direction. I feel like I can keep adding to it and eventually see myself the way I was able to play at the beginning of last year.”
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