Milos Raonic retiring from tennis after trail-blazing career

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Milos Raonic has called game, set, match on his trail-blazing tennis career.

The 35-year-old, who holds the record for highest-ranked Canadian player ever after reaching No. 3 overall, said in a social media post that he is retiring from the sport after helping serve up the nation’s golden age of tennis.

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Raonic, a two-time Olympian known for his booming serve, said he feels like the “luckiest person” to be able to “live out and fulfil my dreams.

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“This is a moment you know will come one day, but somehow you never feel ready for it,” Raonic said in his post. “This is as ready as I will ever be. Tennis has been my love and obsession for most of my life.

“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 eight years old by complete luck. Somehow, this became my entire obsession and childhood and then became my profession and life.”

Two-time Olympian made Wimbledon final

The Missile from Thornhill, who was born in Montenegro before his family moved to the GTA in his formative years, owns a 383-184 record on the ATP Tour that includes eight titles and more than $20 million in career earnings.

He last competed at the Paris Olympics in 2024, when he lost to Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in the first round.

While he never captured a Grand Slam title — he was the runner-up to Andy Murray in the 2016 Wimbledon men’s singles final — Raonic won at least one ATP title per year over a six-year stretch and was consistently ranked in the top 10 from 2014 to 2017.

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Paved way for current crop of Canadians

He also paved the way for Canadian men’s tennis stars like Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime as the first Canuck ranked inside the ATP’s top 30.

“A big part of my tennis journey has been the incredible people I have been fortunate to meet all over the world,” he said. “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.”

Raonic, who thanked his family, colleagues, opponents, the tour and fans for their support over his career, did not say what he plans to do next other than that he “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,” he said.

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