With the Grand Slams of 2025 wrapped up, the year-end events are heating up! The Davis Cup, Laver Cup, and more are on the line, and the excitement is real. Stefanos Tsitsipas is coming off a rough run at the US Open but is keeping his head high. He just returned to the court for Team Greece at the Davis Cup. Though Greece was knocked out by Brazil, Stefanos is facing a bigger challenge. Still, he keeps the spirits light with a throwback post!

On September 19, Stefanos took to his X profile to share two images in one tweet. Captioned “Mentally, I’m still here,” the pictures showed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup and Stefanos sleeping beside his tennis racket. The 27-year-old is dealing with an injury and surgery, but he knows how to keep things light in tough times.

For those who missed it, Greek news outlets report that Stefanos Tsitsipas underwent lower back surgery to fix a lingering issue causing him severe pain and trouble during matches and training. His withdrawal from the China Open came as no surprise. Yet, many were taken aback when he showed up at the Saudi Arabian exhibition. According to sources like Tennis24, it’s still unclear if he’ll miss that event or not.

The surgery’s recovery time is estimated between two to six weeks. The next big tournament starts on October 15. Reports say his presence is “uncertain” but add it’s “not out of the question that the 27-year-old ace will make his comeback at this major event.” It’s tough to say if Stefanos Tsitsipas will be back soon.

It’s no surprise he threw back to the Laver Cup, sharing fond memories with tennis legends. Rafael Nadal, a regular supporter of Team Europe, dropped a fond mention of their time together. He recalled a hilarious 2019 Laver Cup moment when he and Stefanos tried to sync signals during a doubles match against Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock. The attempt had the whole team, including Roger, in stitches.

Though Nadal and Stefanos won’t hit the San Francisco courts this time, Federer is there to enjoy the fantastic tennis and moments. Rafa shared a popular 2019 clip where he, puzzled by their doubles signals, dryly told Stefanos, “Any finger, you cross!” The remark sparked uproarious laughter from Team Europe, showing how much fun camaraderie can light up the court.

Looking back on his season and injury, Stefanos needs time to recover. He’s already pulled out of his first Asian swing tournament. Speculation is rising that he might miss the Six Kings Slam, where he was recently announced as a substitute for Jack Draper. His tough season has ATP pros worried about what lies ahead for the Greek ace.

Stefanos Tsitsipas earns compassion of ex-pros

The Greek’s 2025 season has been a tough ride. He stands at 22-18 with one title, celebrating his 350th career win in Dubai and capturing his first ATP 500 title since 2019. Despite this spark, he slipped to world No. 27 and struggled at the Grand Slams. A lower back injury and surgery slowed him down, forcing him to skip important tournaments. Adding to the drama, Tsitsipas lost a nail-biter to 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in Greece’s Davis Cup tie. Leading 5-3 in the final set and ready to serve for the match, he faltered as Fonseca snatched a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win.

Former pro Steve Johnson didn’t hold back on the Nothing Major Show: “I mean, Tsitsipas is a rudderless boat at the moment. He has no idea what he’s doing. He just looks lost, I don’t know. He’s got to find some way to, like, get it back.” Johnson added, “I feel bad for him. The guy was top five in the world and competing for slams, and now just looks lost out there. Doesn’t have a purpose. Like, the game plan isn’t there. He just seems…just he’s just lost. So I feel for him.” On the other hand, Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t unaware of his setbacks.

After a promising Dubai title run and a few quarterfinals, hopes were high for the French Open. But a shocking second-round exit to Italy’s Matteo Gigante pushed him out of the Top 20. Stefanos Tsitsipas took it in stride: “I believe that I am right where I am; my results have shown it. There is nothing that is unfair. The fairest thing on the tour is the world ranking, which highlights the best players. To put it simply, the ranking doesn’t lie.”

But then, Wimbledon was even rougher. Forced to retire trailing 3-6, 2-6 against Valentin Royer, Stefanos confessed, “It’s really painful to see myself in a situation like this. One thing that I absolutely hate doing is retiring or stopping a match, but I’ve never pictured myself being in a situation like this multiple times since the ATP Finals in Turin a couple of years back.”

Now sidelined by surgery, Stefanos Tsitsipas might get the break he needs. Once ranked No. 3, he faces a tough climb back but still has the fire. What’s your take? Tell us in the comments below!