Stefanos Tsitsipas withdraws from 2025 Shanghai Masters with another injury issue

Stefanos Tsitsipas's challenging season got even more difficult when he withdrew from the 2025 Shanghai Masters with an injury.

The Greek No. 1 was scheduled to play his first match since the 2025 US Open, where he lost to Daniel Altmaier in the second round, on Saturday in Shanghai before determining he was not fit enough.

Tsitsipas has been repeatedly troubled by a chronic back injury during the past 18 months. The 2021 French Open runner-up most recently broke down because of that issue at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.

However, Tsitsipas withdrew from the Shanghai Masters because of a new leg injury. He has yet to say anything publicly about the move, but the tournament and ATP website confirmed his decision.

A new physical problem could hit Tsitsipas harder than most players because he admitted at Wimbledon that retirement was not an impossibility if his troublesome back did not significantly improve.

Handling another issue on top of that could be devastating for the 27-year-old. Hopefully, it will not be a severe setback, and he can return to action as soon as possible without any further breakdowns.

Tsitsipas's worry might be heightened because he was previously announced for the 2025 Six Kings Slam, starting October 15th. He replaced Jack Draper, who ended his season early because of an arm injury.

All participants at this year's Six Kings Slam are guaranteed $1,500,000 regardless of their performance. That means the two players who lose in the quarterfinals (Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic get byes to the semifinal) will get that amount for playing just one match in Riyadh.

Although money is not everything, it undoubtedly played a significant role in the six players signing up, and Tsitsipas will not want to miss out on a lucrative payday because of another physical setback.

Tsitsipas briefly worked with 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic during this year's grass court swing. Many were excited about the collaboration and thought it was what Tsitsipas needed after years of working with his father.

Unfortunately, the partnership failed. The 2025 Halle Open and Wimbledon were their only tournaments together before Tsitsipas announced their split. Although his announcement was cordial, why they parted is obvious.

In an interview, Ivanisevic shockingly attacked Tsitsipas. The Croatian accused him of talking about how much he wants to achieve but not taking the necessary steps to reach the top and win the most significant trophies.

Ivanisevic also slammed the 2023 Australian Open runner-up's fitness. He claimed Tsitsipas was in a worse physical condition than him despite being so much younger than the 54-year-old.

Tsitsipas did not split from Ivanisevic the next day, but the end of their partnership was inevitable from that moment. The Greek rehired his father, which Ivanisevic supports, claiming that no one else can coach him.

The gap between Tsitsipas and Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top has significantly increased during the last few years, and repeated injuries will only make that more challenging to close.