Raonic only ever dreamed of being a top-50 player
Milos Raonic has worked his way up to the No. 4 ranking in the world, but his ambitions were much smaller than that as a youngster.
The Canadian wrote a letter to his future self in The Players' Tribune on Wednesday, admitting that when he was younger all he dreamed of was being in the top 50.
"That doesn’t mean you weren’t ambitious," Raonic wrote. "You were extremely ambitious - ambitious enough to give up on a sweet deal, at one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S., and ambitious enough to bet everything on yourself by turning pro."
Raonic noted that he had signed a letter of intent to the University of Virginia, but changed his mind and decided to go pro.
Things have changed for Raonic now, though, as he fears if he doesn't reach No. 1 or win a Grand Slam, he will be failing to reach his potential.
"I am at a crossroads in my career, having fulfilled my original goals in tennis, while remaining short of the accomplishments of my idols … and I find myself learning to process versions of FOMO in two separate directions," Raonic added.
"Sometimes I wonder if, by focusing on my goal, am I letting the world pass me by? Or is achieving my goal, through sheer persistence and drive, worth the sacrifices I have to make? My biggest phobia at this point in my life is the possibility that someday I’ll look back and feel like I didn’t realize my full potential as a player. That I didn’t get to No. 1. That I didn’t win the multiple Slams. That I missed out."
The 26-year-old nearly captured his first major last summer, after he lost to Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final.