Canadian tennis legend Milos Raonic announces retirement
Milos Raonic, one of Canada’s most legendary tennis athletes, is hanging up the racket for good.
After 18 years of playing pro tennis, the 35-year-old Raonic took to social media on Sunday to announce his retirement from the sport. The Canadian tennis icon will finish his career with 383 singles victories and eight titles to his name, though he was never able to capture a grand slam.
He last competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he was eliminated in the round of 32.
“The time has come, I am retiring from tennis,” Raonic wrote. “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 am thankful for the incredible fans I got to compete and practice in front of all over the world. They got to see me shining at my brightest and managing the hardest of moments on the court. They got to see me grow up. Thank you to each and every one who stopped, even for a moment, to watch and support me. ”
The time has come, I am retiring from tennis. 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…
— Milos Raonic (@milosraonic) January 11, 2026
Though Raonic turned pro in 2008, he didn’t make his first major breakthrough until 2011, when he rose more than 100 spots on the ATP ranking from 156 to 36 in the span of just a month. From there, he would only get better, reaching as high as the world number-three-ranked player in November of 2016. That remains the highest-ever ranking for a Canadian tennis player.
Born in SFR Yugoslavia back in 1990, Raonic’s family relocated to Canada when he was just three-years old. He was raised in Brampton, Ontario and competed under the Canadian flag for the entirety of his career.
“Thank you to Canada. My family and I came over more than 30 years ago,” Raonic wrote. “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. ”
Injuries held back Raonic from ever capturing a grand slam title, though he got close on a few occasions. He advanced to the Wimbledon Finals in 2016, losing to Andy Murray, and had a semifinal appearance in the Australian Open that same year before bowing out to Murray once again.
While it was a bittersweet announcement, the Canadian tennis legend did tease that he is working on something else.
“What’s next? I 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,” Raonic said.
“I will put the same effort and intensity into the next thing. If I can pursue the same excellence as I did with my tennis, just trying to be better every day, and let’s see where it takes me.”
It will certainly take some getting used to not seeing Raonic’s powerful serve at tennis tournaments, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be leaving the spotlight anytime soon.