Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Add Milos Raonic to the growing list of stars who are pulling out of the Rio Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus.Raonic, the No. 7 ranked men's player in the world, announced Friday that he would not be participating for Canada at next month's event in Brazil.The 25-year-old, who was eliminated in the second round at the 2012 London Olympics, joins Dominic Thiem of Austria as the second top 15-ranked men's player to skip Rio.Raonic has been enjoying one of the best stretches of his tennis career, recently knocking off Roger Federer in a thrilling matchup to advance to his first Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by Andy Murray. Raonic is set to compete on home soil next week for the Rogers Cup in Toronto."We fully respect Milos' decision as we are sure this is not one he made easily," said Kelly Murumets, Tennis Canada president and CEO. "Milos represents Canada proudly week after week around the world and we look forward to future opportunities for him to join Team Canada again on the court."Golf star Rory McIlroy recently withdrew due to Zika. Fellow golfers Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are also skipping the prestigious event, meaning none of the top four male golfers in the world will be competing in Rio. A number of high-profile NBA stars have also declined invitations to play for the US men's basketball team, such as LeBron James and Steph Curry, although neither cited the Zika virus as a reason for passing on the tournament.The Olympics are less than a month away, and things remain a mess in Rio.