Milos Raonic ‘sad and hurt’ as he joins the Wimbledon withdrawal list

Milos Raonic has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a calf injury and says he feels ‘sad and hurt’ as it is the pinnacle of his season.

Raonic hasn’t played since the Miami Masters in March and has missed the full clay season, withdrawing from the French Open just the day before the main draw.

The Canadian has announced that despite working hard to recover in time for the All England Championships, a further setback means he cannot play.

The announcement follows Wimbledon withdrawals from Rafael Nadal, due to physical issues after Roland Garros, and Naomi Osaka, who has been struggling mentally with the media demands of the Grand Slams.

Posting on his instagram account, Raonic wrote, “I wanted to share that I am incredibly sad and hurt that I won’t be ready to compete at Wimbledon this year.”

The world number 18 is a former finalist at the All England Club, where he was pipped to the title by Andy Murray in 2016.

“It is a pinnacle in my schedule each and every year,” Raonic wrote to his 357,000 followers.

“I was working hard preparing many of the recent tournaments. On the second to last day I hurt my calf. I have been working hard to heal it but had a minor set back.

“Therefore I won’t be ready for Wimbledon. I will be working hard to get back as soon as possible.”

Wimbledon main draw starts on Monday June 28 and will feature Novak Djokovic going for his 20th Grand Slam as well as Roger Federer and Andy Murray who are both hoping to add to their Wimbledon crowns.