Former world number three and eight-time ATP title-winner Milos Raonic decided to call time on his illustrious career, spanning nearly two-decades, on Monday.
The 35-year-old Canadian, who has been plagued by injuries for a prolonged period, hasn’t featured in a professional competition in over a year.
“The time has come, I am retiring from tennis. This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it. This is as ready as I will ever be. Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.”
“I have been the luckiest person to get to live out and fulfill my dreams. I got to show up every day and focus on just getting better, seeing where that will take me, and playing a game I was introduced to at 8 years old
by complete luck. Somehow, this became my entire obsession and childhood, and then became my profession and life.”
Raonic reached the final of Wimbledon in the year 2016 with his win over the legendary Roger Federer in the semis, before going down to Andy Murray in the summit clash.
“I am thankful for the incredible fans I got to compete and practice in front of all over the world. They got to see me shining at my brightest and managing the hardest of moments on the court. They got to see me grow up. Thank you to each and every one who stopped, even for a moment, to watch and support me.”
“Thank you to my coaches and team, who took time away from their families and homes to be on the road with me as I pursue my dream and goals. I am grateful for your guidance and teachings.”
Raonic also reached the semis of the Australia Open earlier in 2016 and also made it to the ATP Final, making it his most succesful year on the tennis court.
“Thank you to the ATP tour, the ITF, and all the Grand Slams. I dreamt of playing at your great tournaments, and I got to have those amazing experiences surrounded by great people, trying their best for the beautiful game of tennis.”
“Thank you to all my colleagues and opponents. I looked up to you growing up, I looked up to you throughout my career, and I will continue to look up to you as a fan. I became the best player I could be, I am a better person, and I learned a lot of life’s most important lessons thanks to the challenges of competing with you all week in and week out for more than 2 decades.”
“Thank you to Canada. My family and I came over more than 30 years ago. Thanks to you, I pursued tennis, thanks to you, it changed my family’s life, and I enjoyed every moment of the opportunity to represent you all around the world.”
“Mom, Dad, Jelena, and Momir, I am so incredibly thankful that you all put aside your lives at many moments for me to have a chance to chase a dream. It was only possible of becoming a reality thanks to you. None of this is possible without the consistent effort and emotional support you put into my dreams. As lucky as I am to have found tennis, it pales in comparison to how lucky I am to have you as my parents, sister, and brother.”
“I hope to make my wife and son proud every day and I hope I can be the kind of family for them as mine was for me. A big part of my tennis journey has been the incredible people I have been fortunate to meet all over the world. On many occasions, they have been wonderful mentors who have given me the time and guidance to figure out the rest of my life. I am thankful to them for making the burden of many of my life’s most important questions a little easier. Their care and time have made this process much clearer and inspiring.”
“What’s next? I won’t be slowing down. There is so much more life to live, and I am as motivated and hungry as I was in 2011, when I broke through on tour. I will put the same effort and intensity into the next thing. If I can pursue the same excellence as I did with my tennis, just trying to be better every day, and let’s see where it takes me.”
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-17685200826539261.webp)
