Mikael Ymer announces retirement at the age of 24 amidst doping ban

A little more than a month after being banned for doping, Mikael Ymer has announced his retirement from professional Tennis. He was just 24 years old when he made his decision public. Ymer was slapped with an 18-month suspension by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Swede missed three doping Tests in 2021. He took to social media to announce his decision.

“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,” Ymer tweeted.

The now-retired player has had his share of ups and downs in his career. He has won 74 out of his 144 singles matches. His maiden final appearance was at the 2021 Winston-Salem Open, where he lost 6-2, 6-0 to Ilya Ivashka. In Grand Slams, he reached the third round, which he accomplished at the 2021 Australian Open, the 2021 French Open, the 2022 French Open, and most recently the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

In the 2023 Wimbledon Championship, Ymer beat Alex Molcan and ninth seed Taylor Fritz before losing to Daniel Elahi Galan. His career-best singles ranking is 50th, which he achieved earlier this year.

Mikael, alongside his brother Elias managed to win one doubles title in his career, at the 2016 Stockholm Open.

It feels like a bad dream: Mikael Ymer

Not a long time back, he tweeted about how it had been difficult for him. He even questioned whether he was just another casualty to make the system work.

“It feels like a bad dream. I don’t think justice has been served. I am 24 years old, at the prime of my career with a career-high ranking, and I have been banned for 18 months. Are we comfortable affecting young people’s livelihoods like this? Am I a casualty needed for the system to work? So why was I different?” he said.