Milos Raonic called it quits on his tennis career at the start of the 2026 season, breaking the news through an emotional social media post.
The Canadian powerhouse had quite a run during his prime years.
Raonic climbed all the way to No. 3 in the world rankings. His best year was definitely 2016 – he made it to the Australian Open semis and played in the Wimbledon final. That’s pretty amazing for a guy who was known mainly for his massive serve.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milos Raonic | 305 |
But here’s the tough part about his generation of players.
Raonic made it to three Masters 1000 finals but lost every single one. And who did he run into? Rafael Nadal in one final and Novak Djokovic in the other two. Talk about bad timing – those guys were basically unbeatable during their peak years.
Still, the big Canadian managed to win eight ATP titles during his career. One of those was at a bigger ATP 500 tournament, while seven came at the smaller ATP 250 events. He also qualified for the ATP Finals twice, in 2014 and 2016.
Some Pretty Cool Records
Raonic’s huge serve helped him set some records that’ll probably stick around for a while.
He and Andy Murray hold the record for the longest ATP Finals match ever. Back in 2016, they battled for three hours and 38 minutes before Murray finally won 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9). That’s nearly four hours of tennis.
But here’s the really wild one – Raonic hit 47 aces in a single three-set match. That happened at the 2024 Queen’s Club Championships when he beat Cameron Norrie 6-7(8), 6-3, 7-6(9). Forty-seven aces! That’s insane.
That Queen’s Club tournament was part of his attempt to get back on tour.
Unfortunately, his body just couldn’t handle the grind anymore. The Canadian played only 20 matches since 2023 – nine in 2023 and 11 in 2024. When you can barely stay healthy enough to compete regularly, it’s time to face reality.
An Emotional Goodbye
Raonic’s retirement announcement was really heartfelt. You could tell this wasn’t an easy decision for him.
"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 and fulfill my dreams."
He talked about how tennis became his whole world after being introduced to the sport when he was just 8 years old.
"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."
The gratitude in his message was pretty touching. He thanked everyone from fans to coaches to opponents.
"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."
He had special words for his fellow players too.
"Thank you to all my colleagues and opponents. I looked up to you growing up, I looked up to you throughout my career, and I will continue to look up to you as a fan."
A Canadian Success Story
Raonic made sure to thank Canada, where his family moved over 30 years ago.
"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."
His family clearly sacrificed a lot for his tennis dreams.
"Mom, Dad, Jelena, and Momir, I am so incredibly thankful that you all put aside your lives at many moments for me to have a chance to chase a dream. It was only possible of becoming a reality thanks to you."
But he’s not planning to slow down in retirement.
"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."
"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."
Whatever Raonic does next, you get the feeling he’ll approach it with the same intensity that got him to No. 3 in the world. That’s just who he is.
