Milos Raonic out of 2017 US Open

Wrist Injury Forces Raonic out of Fourth Grand Slam

The US Open has been hit by another injury casualty. Canada’s Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the tournament because of a wrist injury.

The final Grand Slam of the year is already struggling with injuries and withdrawals from former US Open winner Novak Djokovic, defending champion Stan Wawrinka and previous semi-finalist Kei Nishikori. And this Raonic news will only add to the tournament’s issues as they look at the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to go the distance.

Read: Victoria Azarenka Withdraws from US Open

Ranked 11th in the world, Raonic was already struggling with fitness issues, and the persistent wrist problem has meant he has decided not to participate in the US Open.

Raonic, who has never reached the quarter-final stage of the US Open in his career, was a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open and the Wimbledon, having also featured in the final of the grass-court Grand Slam last year.

This wrist problem had forced him to miss the Cincinnati Open, after a quarter-final exit at the Citi Open and a second round ouster in Montreal in the Rogers Cup.

Earlier, he had made the final of the Delray Beach Open before suffering an injury and that began a run of poor results, including a second round exit in the very next tournament he played at the Miami Masters.

In an Instagram release, Raonic announced:

“I have tried everything in my power to rehabilitate this injury in time for the U.S. Open. However, I am left with no option but to withdraw from the event. I have too much respect for the U.S. Open and my fellow competitors to take a spot in the draw when I know I cannot give full effort due to this injury.”

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Raonic touched a career high of world number three in the ATP Rankings last year but has since then fallen outside the top 10 because of his indifferent form, having not won a single ATP tournament in over 20 months.

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

A post shared by Milos Raonic (@mraonic) on Aug 23, 2017 at 7:17pm PDT

Fortunately for Raonic, he has said he will be looking to make a comeback this year itself, unlike the other three players, Djokovic, Wawrinka and Nishikori, all of whom have been ruled out of the year and will only return in 2018.