Stefanos Tsitsipas sends message to his doctor after winning first match since September

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Stefanos Tsitsipas returned to tennis with a bang in Perth, winning two matches on the opening day of the United Cup.

The Greek star had last won a match 111 days ago, when he defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild at the Davis Cup.

Ending his season early, Tsitsipas attempted to rest his back, which troubled him throughout 2025.

Returning at the United Cup, Tsitsipas beat Shintaro Mochizuki, 6-3, 6-4, before joining forces with Maria Sakkari to dominate Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama in straight sets.

With two wins under his belt already, there are plenty of positives for Tsitsipas to take from day one of the 2026 ATP season.

Reacting to the day’s matches, Tsitsipas updated fans on his fitness levels and sent a message to his doctor.

Stefanos Tsitsipas thanks his doctor for working on his ‘urgent’ back problem

During his post-match press conference, Tsitsipas was asked about his back.

“I don’t have any complaints so far. Nothing that bothers me, actually,” he said.

“I would expect it to be fine tomorrow.

“I have a lot of faith in the doctor who treated me. He’s considered one of the best.

“I am really thankful that he had the opportunity to see me and help me out because my situation was quite urgent. There were a lot of things on the line for me. I had to clear those things out.”

Tsitsipas is hopeful that his injury issues are now behind him and that he will be able to push hard in 2026.

“The goal of 2026 is to be playing best-of-five matches, hopefully not too often, but if they’re needed, I will have to stay on court until five sets and to be able to come back fresh the next day and have a hit, just like any other player,” he said.

“Recently, that was tough to do. I’m just hoping I get back into this spinning wheel again, the one I’m used to for so many years.”

Tsitsipas then gave his verdict on the matches themselves and admitted he started ‘awfully’.

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“I’m pleased with the way I actually finished the match because I really started finding a lot of rhythm in my game in the latter stages of the match,” he said.

“I honestly believe my first game of the match was actually pretty awful from my side. I felt like I was completely useless.

“But once I understood how to play, once I got a better visual of the corners that I want to target on the court, playing a little bit with more clarity, not rushing into decisions and not rushing into big shots, I felt like my game started penetrating more, started hurting more.

“In the long run, I was trying to do it instantly, and it cost me to get started with the match. 

“But I was not too concerned. I was just trying to rally and find my opportunities and chances there.”

Tsitsipas helped Greece complete the clean sweep against Japan, sending them to the top of Group E.

Greece vs Japan

The Greeks will return to take on Emma Raducanu’s Great Britain on Monday, January 5.

What went wrong for Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2025?

Tsitsipas had a poor season, by his standards, in 2025, winning just two Grand Slam matches.

• 2025 Australian Open 1R [LOSS] vs Alex Michelsen
• 2025 French Open 1R [WIN] vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
• 2025 French Open 2R [LOSS] vs Matteo Gigante
• 2025 Wimbledon 1R [LOSS] vs Valentin Royer
• 2025 US Open 1R [WIN] vs Alexandre Muller
• 2025 US Open 2R [LOSS] vs Daniel Altmaier

Those results saw him drop out of the world’s top 10, then 20, and then 30.

There are several reasons behind Tsitsipas’ drop in form, none more significant than his back injury.

Tsitsipas wasn’t 100% for most of the year, preventing him from playing a full schedule.

He also made several coaching changes during the season, hiring former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic for the grass-court swing.

Unfortunately, their partnership was short-lived, as Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic split after winning just one match together.

Tsitsipas then rehired his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, whom he had fired a year earlier.

Only time will tell if Tsitsipas will enjoy a better year on tour in 2026, but it will certainly be worth tuning in for.