Stefanos Tsitsipas Tore Psoas Muscle Juggling Football Before AO 2026

Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up about the bizarre and frustrating injury that hampered him at the 2026 Australian Open.

In a post-match interview (via AO press and reported by outlets like SDNA Greece and Punto de Break), the Greek star explained how a seemingly harmless kickabout turned into a major setback just days before the tournament:

"I had a stupid injury here, playing football, four days before the start of the tournament. My whole team was pressuring me not to play.

"It's one of the worst and stupidest injuries I've ever had before a tournament. It's never happened to me before. I was juggling a ball when I tore my psoas muscle while turning to return it. It was a sudden movement—it's never happened to me before.

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"I had difficulty walking for two days. In training, I didn't run; I avoided lateral movements. It's the stupidest thing that's ever happened to me before a tournament. I've learned my lesson: I'll never play football before a competition again."

Despite the psoas tear (a hip flexor muscle crucial for explosive movements), Tsitsipas pushed through to win his first-round match against Shintaro Mochizuki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. However, the injury likely contributed to his second-round exit last night (January 22, 2026) against Tomas Machac, where he fell in four tight sets: 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a 3-hour-8-minute battle on Margaret Court Arena.

He expressed pride in competing at all, noting he could have withdrawn entirely, but the early exit extends his ongoing Grand Slam struggles.