24-year-old world no. 80, Mikael Ymer is retiring from tennis; he announced it suddenly on X, providing very little context about his sudden retirement.
Ymer has had a tough time recently as the Swedish player basically saw himself be retired forcefully with an 18-month suspension from the sport. Ymer wasn't caught doping or anything like that, but he missed too many doping tests within the determined period, which resulted in an automatic suspension from competing on the ATP Tour.
The initial ruling wasn't even known as Ymer contested it in court, explaining how the testing process caused him to miss the test and not any reckless choice by him. He alleged that he waited for the test, but agents never showed up.
Similar stories have popped up over the years, with some players explaining how stressful it can be and how the agents aren't really that helpful with their strict behaviour. In any case, Ymer's suspension was struck down but then the ITF appealed on that and the suspension was reinstated.
It left many players shocked as the ITF should protect the athletes and not seek out harsh punishments. Ymer was clearly disappointed with the situation but remained rather silent until now. He suddenly announced what seems to be his retirement from tennis on X, thanking fans for the memories and wishing his former colleagues all the best moving forward.
"Hey guys I've decided to retire from professional Tennis. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it's been! I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. God is Great always."
It remains to be seen what happens in the future and whether this is just an impulsive move by a very disappointed player, but it would be rather shocking if he does retire from the sport, given that he reached his career-high in the ATP Rankings only recently.
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