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INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 16: Milos Raonic of Canada looks dejected during his match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in the semifinals of the men’s singles on March 16, 2019 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
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INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 16: Milos Raonic of Canada looks dejected during his match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in the semifinals of the men’s singles on March 16, 2019 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
When tennis resumed last year after facing a six-month hiatus due to COVID-19, there were expectations that things would go back to normal as soon as possible. But a lot of players are still finding it difficult to perform and manage the fairly hectic schedule on tour in 2021. Keeping with this trend, Milos Raonic, who played just three tournaments this year, has announced his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics today.
The Canadian, who enjoyed some success at the Wimbledon Championships, pulled out of the tournament due to a calf injury. Even though the news didn’t come off as a huge surprise to his fans considering the injury he is dealing with, it really is a big blow for several nations to see their top stars withdrawing one after the other from Olympics.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 22: Milos Raonic of Canada celebrates after winning match point during his Men’s Singles second round match against Cristian Garin of Chile on day three of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
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Milos Raonic pulled out of Tokyo Olympics due to a recurring calf injury
The former world number three took to Instagram to announce the sad news.
“I didn’t want for it to get to this point, but I am sad to announce I will not be competing at the Olympics this summer. It is always the greatest honor to represent Canada on any world stage, and to miss that opportunity is not easy,” Raonic wrote.
Not a surprise since he is missing Wimbledon with an injury, but Milos officially out of the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/sWbwXebhjw
— Melissa (@sashaysashay) June 29, 2021
Along with a long list of players that include the likes of Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem, Raonic might have pulled out of the Olympics to rest and be ready for the hard-court season.
All through his career, the Canadian had to deal with multiple injuries which affected his momentum on tour. With his huge serve and forehand combination, Raonic remained a huge threat to top stars like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
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Due to his withdrawal, the Canadian tennis team comprises Felix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez, Vasek Pospisil. A week ago, Denis Shapovalov also decided to withdraw from the Olympics.
Hey everyone, after careful consideration I wanted to let you know that I will not be participating in the Olympics this year. Representing Canada means the world to me, but due to the current situation my team and I have decided this is the best decision for everyone’s safety. pic.twitter.com/aQD5n2kFS7
— Denis Shapovalov (@denis_shapo) June 21, 2021
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Despite Raonic and Shapovalov not playing, Canada has strong names like Andreescu and Felix who can create serious damage to the other teams at the Summer Olympics.
