Milos Raonic talked with Vasek Pospisil before Rio withdrawal

By Callum Ng, CBC Sports

As he struggled with his decision to withdraw from the Olympics, Milos Raonic knew he needed to talk with Vasek Pospisil, his would-be doubles partner in Rio.  

"It was difficult because I was supposed to play ... the doubles with Vasek," Raonic said of his conversation with Pospisil. "I said, 'I don't know what I'm feeling about this decision right now and it's eating away at me I want you to be aware because I want you to have every opportunity and I don't want to be a burden on that in any way.'"

Raonic, ranked No. 7 in the world, officially dropped out of Olympic consideration on July 15, citing both concern about the Zika virus and his wish to concentrate on his preparations for next month's U.S. Open.  

Raonic felt he owed Pospisil an explanation, as the two have known each other since they played doubles together as juniors. Since turning pro, Raonic has focused on singles while Pospisil has split his time between the two disciplines. Pospisil is ranked 21st in doubles and 98th in singles.

"It's unfortunate that we won't get to play because we did play a lot of great doubles together from our junior days," Raonic said. "We haven't played really much on the professional tour just because I think our goals are a little bit different."

Raonic is in Toronto for next week's Rogers Cup, where he is the No. 4 seed. Pospisil is also in the main draw as the No. 42 seed.

The Masters-level tournament comes on the heels of Raonic's historic run at Wimbledon earlier in July where he became the first Canadian man to make a Grand Slam singles final, losing to Great Britain's Andy Murray in three sets. 

Taking Raonic's place is veteran Daniel Nestor, 43, a gold medallist in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Nestor and Pospisil teamed up four years ago at the London Olympics, finishing ninth.