Sydney, 12 January (H.S.): Milos Raonic, Canada's former world number-three tennis player, announced his retirement from professional tennis on Sunday at the age of 35. Renowned for his blistering serve dubbed the missile, Raonic secured eight ATP Tour titles over a career spanning nearly one-and-a-half decades and amassed prize money exceeding $20 million.
Raonic's pinnacle came in 2016, when he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the final of Wimbledon. In both marquee matches, he fell to Britain's Andy Murray.
Taking to the social media platform X to declare his retirement, Raonic reflected, This is that moment you know is coming but you're never fully ready for. This is as ready as I could be. Tennis has been the greatest love and passion of my life.He added, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to live and fulfill my dreams. Focusing every day on getting better and seeing where it takes me—that's been my life.
Born in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the tender age of three. He turned professional in 2008 and claimed his maiden ATP title at the 2011 Pacific Coast Championship, defeating Fernando Verdasco in the final.Between 2013 and 2020, Raonic advanced to four Masters 1000 finals but fell short of victory each time.
His debut final came at the Canadian Open against Rafael Nadal, followed by three defeats to Novak Djokovic. The 2020 Cincinnati Masters final against Djokovic marked his last ATP final appearance.
Raonic's final tour-level match occurred at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he bowed out in the first round to Germany's Dominic Koepfer.Looking ahead, Raonic affirmed, What's next? I'm not stopping. Life has so much more to offer, and I'm just as motivated and hungry as I was in 2011 when I made my mark on tour.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
