Former tennis star Milos Raonic, who beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and banked £15 million during his career, has moved into finance. The former world number three, now 35, retired earlier this year after playing his last match in 2024, with injuries having plagued his career. He had already begun planning for the future by enrolling in an internship at Goldman Sachs and is now based in New York.
From Wimbledon final to Wall Street
Raonic reached a Wimbledon final, losing to Andy Murray in 2016. He has put the work in by undertaking more than 300 hours of study, networking with "342 meetings" and going through eight interviews.
He told The Times: "I started my CFA [Chartered Financial Analyst exams] while I was still on tour, just to show that I'm really serious about this."
"The biggest part was what can I put the same amount of energy and intensity into, like I did when I was 19 and just breaking out on tour, without having the constraint of my physical issues. I wanted to get myself an opportunity and feel like I’d earnt it."
Bitter taste over Murray defeat
While not in the class of Novak Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray, Raonic was a fine player in his pomp and possessed a fearsome serve. The closest he came to Grand Slam glory was at Wimbledon in 2016, when he lost to Murray in straight sets, a performance that still frustrates him.
He said: "I think I could have done stuff better, but I don't think it would have made a difference. Just look at the way he was playing. I still have some kind of a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about it."
Three wins over Federer and two over Nadal
Still, Raonic can boast three wins over Federer and two over Nadal, although he couldn't get the better of Djokovic in 12 attempts. He added: "He [Djokovic] was the best at neutralising my serve, so my biggest weapon.
"And then, one thing that's probably counterintuitive, he played, for somebody as great as he is, through the middle of the court. Most people, when you watch tennis, you're like, 'Look how well they hit that winner down the line or cross-court or how they created that angle.' He played down the middle, so my angles just felt much smaller. It was like a pressure-cooker."
"Roger was the one that - and obviously Rafa on clay - when they were playing at their best, you're just like, I don't belong here or I don't want to be here, I’d rather be somewhere else, and you’re on a court in a stadium in front of probably 10,000 people.
"It's not a nice feeling. It's just like getting through the next hour and a half and getting to a locker room as quick as possible."
