Milos Raonic writes letter to fans, forced to miss US Open

Aug 24 2017, 11:43 pm

Milos Raonic will have to wait until next year for another shot at winning his first-ever Grand Slam title.

The big-serving Canadian has pulled out of next week’s US Open because of a wrist injury, announcing so on Instagram Wednesday evening.

“I’ve been dealing with a painful condition in my left wrist, which has been bothering me for many weeks now and recently forced me to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters,” the 26-year-old wrote.

Raonic hasn’t played since his opening match loss at the Rogers Cup in Montreal earlier this month.

“I have tried everything in my power to rehabilitate this injury in time for the US Open in order to play an event that is so truly special to me. However, the pain is too great and, in consultation with my doctors, I am left with no option but to withdraw from the event.”

Raonic underwent surgery on his wrist to remove portions of the bone that caused him discomfort.

“I have too much respect for the US Open and my fellow competitors to take a spot in the draw when I know I cannot give full effort due to this injury.”

Raonic is already rehabbing the injury, and expects to on the court in a few weeks, so his 2017 season isn’t over. The next Grand Slam tournament is at the Australian Open in January.

It’s been a somewhat frustrating season for Raonic, who wasn’t able to build off his wildly successful 2016 campaign. He was ranked No. 3 in the world coming into this year – the highest ranking ever held by a Canadian tennis player.

A winner of eight career ATP titles, Milos has won at least one tournament every year since 2011. He’s still looking for his first tournament win in 2017, and has seen his ranking drop to 11th in the world.

Raonic reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, only to lose to a pair of living legends in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Here’s the full letter from Raonic to his fans:

To all my friends and fans,

I’m writing to provide you with an update on my injury. As you know, I’ve been dealing with a painful condition in my left wrist, which has been bothering me for many weeks now and recently forced me to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters. I have tried everything in my power to rehabilitate this injury in time for the US Open in order to play an event that is so truly special to me. However, the pain is too great and, in consultation with my doctors, I am left with no option but to withdraw from the event. Today, I underwent a procedure to remove portions of the bone that have been causing the discomfort and preventing me from being able to play the way I normally can. I have too much respect for the US Open and my fellow competitors to take a spot in the draw when I know I cannot give full effort due to this injury.

I am crushed to miss this event and a chance to play in front of the fantastic New York crowd, but I truly had no other options. I am already back in the gym starting my rehabilitation, and hope to be recovered and back on the court in a matter of a few weeks. I look forward to rejoining the tour healthier and stronger and finishing the 2017 year in proper form.

Thank you for all the support. I’ll keep you updated in the days to come, and look forward to seeing you all at a match soon.

Yours,

Milos Raonic

#TeamMilos

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