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Mikael Ymer’s sudden retirement news amid suspension has come as a shock to tennis fans, and they have shared their feelings about it.
On Friday, August 25, Mikael Ymer announced his retirement from tennis, aged just 24. Taking to social media, the former World No. 50 thanked everyone for the memories and wished his colleagues success in their careers.
“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,” he wrote.
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The Swede’s decision came just over a month after the ITF slapped him with an 18-month suspension regarding his three missed out-of-competition doping tests from 2021.
The ITF's ban did not sit well with Ymer, who protested his third missed test. He explained that it was a case of miscommunication between him and his agent regarding his whereabouts, as well as the WADA official’s “non-effort.” The 24-year-old also revealed that he was initially cleared by an independent tribunal but “the ITF felt compelled to appeal to CAS.”
Mikael Ymer accused the ITF of differential treatment. He claimed that many of his colleagues, caught in a similar situation, emerged out of the ordeal unscathed.
“It feels like a bad dream,” he wrote in a tweet. “Am I a casualty needed for the system to work? I know for a fact that other players have been cleared after having had 3 strikes, despite being very similar scenarios to mine. So why was I different?”
Following Ymer’s retirement announcement, several tennis fans were heartbroken, and they expressed their strong discontent with how his case was handled by the ITF.
“Sorry you've had to reach this decision.. This whole situation should've been handled better & more honestly by the powers that be. Best of luck on your new path,” one fan said.
Many fans asked Ymer to keep fighting and hoped that he would come out of retirement after the ordeal.
“Very sad to hear this, I know it must be hard for you feeling you have not be treating fair and having to start all over but I really hope you don't give up and keep fighting. Whatever you do in the future I wish you all the best. You will be missed young man,” another fan said.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Mikael Ymer reached a career-high ranking earlier this year
Mikael Ymer clinched two Futures titles on the ITF circuit. He also lifted four Challenger titles in his career. In 2021, he reached his maiden ATP tour-level final at the Winston-Salem Open but came up short against Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka.
A title on the ATP tour eluded Mikael Ymer. However, the Swede made some noteworthy progress in 2023, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 50 in April.
In his short career, Ymer scored some noteworthy wins over the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner. Notably, he retires with a positive 2-0 head-to-head over Alcaraz.
At Grand Slams, he reached as far as the third round - at the Australian Open (2021), at the French Open (2021, 2022) and at Wimbledon (2023).
The 24-year-old’s last tournament was the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where he defeated Fritz in the second round before bowing out in the third round against Daniel Elahi Galan.
