"He's the best Canadian player of all time": 'Nightmare' to face Milos Raonic lauded by Querrey and Isner amid recent retirement

Before getting into the results from the previous week, John Isner and Sam Querrey paused on the Nothing Major podcast to discuss the retirement of Milos Raonic — a moment Isner felt deserved real attention.

Raonic announced his retirement from tennis earlier this week, and Isner was quick to underline just how significant his career had been.

“I don’t think this is one we need to just gloss over,” Isner said. “Because personally, I thought Milos had a fantastic career. I mean, everyone would agree. He had a fantastic career — got to No. 3 in the world, made a Grand Slam final, and was plagued by a lot of injuries.”

Despite those setbacks, Isner believes Raonic has set the standard for Canadian men’s tennis. “In my mind, right now — and maybe Felix or Denis can surpass him — he’s the best Canadian player of all time,” he said. “To reach No. 3 in the world and get to a Slam final, that’s huge. I think we’d all like to say congrats to Milos on a really fantastic career.”

The conversation then turned to Raonic’s emergence on tour, something Sam Querrey remembers vividly. “Do you remember when he first came on tour?” Querrey said. “Whatever that was — like 10 years ago? It was kind of unknown.”

“Well, it was more like 17 years ago,” Isner replied alongside Steve Johnson and Jack Sock.

“Sorry, my bad — 15 years ago,” Querrey corrected himself. “I remember he was playing some Challengers, and then you looked up and he was in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Then he’s winning San Jose, winning Memphis, and he’s ranked 35 in the world. And you’re like, ‘Who is this guy?’”

Raonic’s power immediately stood out. “He’s got short shorts and he’s hitting serves at like 140,” Querrey said. “Just out of nowhere.”

One particular match from those early days still sticks in their minds. “Do you remember that match he played against Roddick in Memphis?” Querrey asked. "He lost like five or six in the third,” Isner said. “Roddick hit that diving shot, his hat fell off — you can see the hat on him.”

Despite the loss, Querrey felt Raonic’s arrival at the top level was unmistakable. “He really did come out of nowhere,” he said.

Isner also pointed out that Raonic was close to taking a very different career path. “I know he was committed to go to the University of Virginia,” Isner said. “I was going to say that too,” Querrey replied.

“And then he decommitted,” Isner continued. “Made the right choice. It was a meteoric rise. He was top 30 in the world at, what, 19 years old, it felt like.” “And stayed there,” Querrey added. “Stayed there,” Isner agreed.

Raonic’s peak years saw him firmly established among the world’s elite.

“He got to No. 3 in the world,” Isner said. “It was three,” Querrey confirmed.

“One Slam final — Wimbledon, lost to Andy Murray,” Isner continued. “But when he was healthy, he was a nightmare. He was just really, really good.”

Querrey noted how injuries shaped the later stages of Raonic’s career. “He’s been retired, I feel like, for four years already,” he said. “Like John said, those brutal injuries. But he was a phenomenal player for a decade.”