Milos Raonic has been forced to withdraw from the French Open due to lingering injury issues.

The Canadian had shown signs of promise during the 2018 campaign, reaching the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and the semifinals of Miami.

He recorded a pair of third-round results during the clay swing, giving a walkover to Marin Cilic in Monte Carlo and losing to countryman Denis Shapovalov in Madrid, allowing the 19-year old to become the top-ranked Canadian man on tour.

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Raonic announces decision on Twitter

Following a withdrawal from Rome before the tournament began, the former Wimbledon finalist took to his Twitter account to say that he was pulling out of the second major of the year.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am withdrawing from Roland Garros, I have many great memories there, but I know I need to continue working hard to put myself in the best position when I step out on the court. Thank you all for your support and see you soon on the grass," he Tweeted.

Also missing from Paris in 2015, Raonic's best finish is a quarterfinal appearance in 2014. He had reached the fourth round the last two years.

The Canadian intends to return to the tour during the grass court season.

Raonic's comments via Twitter.
Raonic's comments via Twitter.

Canadian joins a list of big names on the sidelines

With Raonic's withdrawal, he adds his name to a host of top players not participating at Roland Garros. 

Roger Federer has chosen, for the second straight year, to skip the clay court season and rest for the upcoming grass court campaign.

2016 finalist Andy Murray continues to recover from January hip surgery and hopes to return at the Libema Open in two and a half weeks time while Australian Open semifinalist Hyeon Chung recently pulled out after an MRI revealed fluid in his ankle.

Also missing are Paris Masters finalist Filip Krajinovic with a leg injury and 2017 US Open quarterfinalist Andrey Rublev, due to miss out with a back injury.

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John Lupo
I am a writer and photographer. I have two Instagrams: @lupojohn1 is my personal account while @dslr_transit_photos is my photography account as I do transit photography in my hometown of New York City.