Canadian tennis player of Montenegrin origin, born in Podgorica, Miloš Raonić, has decided to end his career.
Raonic was ranked third on the ATP list, and will be remembered for reaching the Wimbledon final in 2016, defeating Roger Federer in the semifinals after five sets. He lost to Andy Murray in the title match.
That season, he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, as well as the final Masters in London, and played in the final of Indian Wells.
The last time he played tennis was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, when he was beaten by Dominik Kepfer.
In 2011, he won the Rookie of the Year award, and became the first player born in the 90s to make it into the Top 10 and qualify for the final Masters.
Statistically, he remains one of the best servers in the history of tennis, winning as many as 91 percent of his service games (third in history).
He took a 685-day break at one point, managing to return to tennis after almost two years without professional matches, but he only played for two years before it became clear that it was time to consider retirement.
Raonic announced in an emotional message that he had ended his career.
"The moment has come... I am retiring from tennis. This is the moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel quite ready for it. Yet this is the most ready I will ever be. Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.
I was the luckiest person in the world because I was given the opportunity to live and achieve my dreams. I woke up every day with a focus on getting better, seeing where it would take me, playing a game I was introduced to at the age of eight out of pure luck. Somehow it became my complete obsession and childhood, and then my profession and life.
I am grateful to the incredible fans I have competed and trained in front of around the world. You have watched me shine at my best, but also overcome my toughest moments on the court. You have watched me grow. Thank you to each and every one of you 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 journey with me as I chased my dreams and goals. I am grateful for your guidance and lessons.
Thank you ATP Tour, ITF and all the Grand Slams. I dreamed of playing in your big tournaments and I was given the opportunity for these incredible experiences, surrounded by great people who give their all for the beautiful game of tennis.
Thank you to all my teammates 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 and I became a better person – I learned many of life's most important lessons from the challenges of competing with you, week in and week out, for over two decades.
Thank you Canada. My family and I came over 30 years ago. Thanks to you, I got into tennis; thanks to you, it changed my family's life. I've enjoyed every moment representing you around the world.
Mom, Dad, Jelena and Momire, I am infinitely grateful to you for putting your lives aside at many moments so that I could pursue my dream. This has only become a reality thanks to you. None of this would have been possible without your constant effort and the emotional support you have invested in my dreams. As lucky as I am to have found tennis, it pales in comparison to the luck of having you as my parents, sister and brother. I hope to make my wife and son proud every day and to be the kind of family to them that you were to me.
A big part of my tennis journey has been the incredible people I have been fortunate to meet around the world. On many occasions, they have been wonderful mentors who have given me time and guidance to help me shape the rest of my life. I am grateful to them for easing the burden of many important life questions. Their care and time have made this process much clearer and more inspiring.
"What's next? I won't slow down. There's so much more to experience, and I'm just as motivated and hungry for success as I was in 2011, when I made my breakthrough on the tour. I'll put the same effort and intensity into what's next. If I strive for the same excellence I do in tennis, striving to be better every day, we'll see where that takes me," Raonic wrote.
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