Former world No. 3 and Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic announced his retirement on Sunday, bringing an end to an illustrious 18-year career in which he set several Canadian records and inspired an entire generation of players across the country. On Monday, Tennis Canada celebrates one of the most historic and influential careers in Canadian tennis history.
"The time has come, I am retiring from tennis,” wrote Raonic. “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.
“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.”
Raonic began his career in 2008 and won his first professional title in 2011 (San Jose) at the age of 20. He went on to win eight ATP titles, equal with Félix Auger-Aliassime for the most singles titles won by a Canadian. In 2013, Raonic reached the final of the ATP 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, his home tournament, in Montreal. It was one of four runner-up trophies he earned at an ATP 1000-level tournament.
He also enjoyed tremendous success in Grand Slam events, reaching the quarter-finals or better on 10 occasions, with his career highlight coming in 2016 when he defeated Roger Federer in a five-set semi-final to reach the Wimbledon championship match. Later in 2016, he reached the final four of the ATP Finals, becoming the first Canadian to achieve this feat in singles, before finishing his landmark season as world No. 3. Raonic is the only Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final and still holds the country's record for the highest singles ranking.
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“Milos [Raonic] is quite simply one of the greatest athletes this country has ever seen,” said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada. “What he has accomplished in our sport and his resilience throughout his career have redefined expectations for Canadians. I remember his run at Wimbledon in 2016 as if it were yesterday – the excitement across the country was undeniable and it changed the way people viewed our sport in Canada. Suddenly, people believed that they too could be among the very best in the world and compete in the biggest matches on the biggest of stages. His legacy goes beyond his titles and rankings, as he changed the landscape of tennis in Canada, and his influence on Canadian players and programs will be felt for many years to come.”
Throughout his career, Raonic has proudly represented Canada at the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games. With 17 singles victories in Davis Cup play, he is tied with Sébastien Lareau for the most singles wins by a Canadian. Raonic, a two-time Olympian (London 2012, Paris 2024), played his last match donning the red and white at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Standing at 6'5”, Raonic is recognized as one of the best servers of all time. He finished his career ranked ninth in the all-time aces list with 8,445 and is the only player in the Top 10 to have played fewer than 600 matches. He holds the record for the most aces in a best-of-three-set match with 47, set in 2024.
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“Milos [Raonic] had one of the most remarkable careers in Canadian tennis history, and we are extremely proud and honoured that he has represented our country for nearly two decades with such class and professionalism,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice President, High Performance. “Milos was one of the very first players to join our National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers in 2007. Since then, he has become a tremendous role model for the next generation, both on and off the court. He is one of the main and initial contributors of the massive Canadian step up of the past 15 years. You can really see his impact when you look at where Canadian professional tennis is today, as well as its growing popularity across the country. On behalf of Tennis Canada and the entire tennis community, I would like to thank Milos for everything he has given us, and we wish him the best in this new chapter of his life.”
