Milos Raonic is the last name added to that long list of male tennis player that won't feature in the 2017 US Open Tennis Championships. The 26-year-old Canadian made the drastic decision to pull out of the last Major tennis tournament of the year due to a bad wrist that prevented him from playing his best tennis. The former world No. 3 and 2016 Wimbledon runner-up is currently ranked 11th in the world. In a slightly ironic note, it's good news that the US Open will start in a couple of days. Thus it'll prevent another tennis player to withdraw from the contest.

A few years ago, Milos Raonic seemed to be the new real deal of men's tennis. But, despite his constant struggle inside the top 10, he was never able to get past a certain limit. Whether it was a badly-syncronized injury or an in-form opponent, he failed to deliver in the key moments of his professional career. Getting close to his 27th birthday, Raonic's biggest achievement is reaching the last act at 2016 Wimbledon where he lost to Andy Murray. Beating Federer in the semis was some top-drawer outcome with Raonic recovering from a 2-1 deficit.

The inconsistency has been the defining word of 2017

Starting the season as the world No. 3, Milos Raonic has been through a rather inconsistent field.

With not a single title under his belt in 2017 and a 28-11 win/ loss record, his tennis output has been below his usual standard. Struggling with injuries throughout the first few months of the season, he wasn't able to gather some steam under the hood or rhythm. Reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open ( he lost to Nadal), and then at Wimbledon (losing to Federer) is a pale consolation for a player of his stature.

The North American outdoor had swing saw Raonic entering two events. At City Open he reached the last eight stages only to lose to Jack Sock. On home soil, at Rogers Cup in Montreal, he suffered a shocking defeat losing to Adrian Mannarino in the round of 32. Later he skipped the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to an injury.

Now, that he will skip the US Open too, it seems that another season is done and dusted while Raonic still seeking that major breakthrough.

A crippled, thinner main draw for US Open

The men's tennis will enter the US Open having a rather thin pack. Wawrinka, Djokovic, Nishikori, and Raonic won't be in the main draw. This current situation might help Federer, Nadal or Murray to break other records or it could be the long-expected opening for the younger generation. Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem or Grigor Dimitrov may have a-once-in-a-lifetime chance to put their hands on a Grand Slam title.