“Shame on the people who banned you” – Mikael Ymer’s sudden retirement at the age of 24 amid doping allegations sends shockwaves as fans sympathize with the Swede

Mikael Ymer was the No. 1 Swedish player on the tour.

“Shame on the people who banned you” – Mikael Ymer’s sudden retirement at the age of 24 amid doping allegations sends shockwaves as fans sympathize with the Swede

Mikael Ymer (Image via ATP Tour)

Swedish tennis player Mikael Ymer took to social media to announce his early retirement from professional tennis. The 24-year-old’s sudden decision to quit came as a shock to many of his fans.

Ymer’s decision to quit came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport imposed an 18-month ban on the player. This decision came following an appeal by the International Tennis Federation. The CAS found him guilty as Ymer was charged with an ‘anti-doping rule violation’ in January 2022. The Swede admitted that he had been cleared of the charges once and found the court’s decision “unfair”.

YouTube video

“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,” he stated in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

FS Video
https://twitter.com/MikaelYmer/status/1695117835415011597

According to CAS, ITF had requested a two-year period of ineligibility for the player, but the panel later agreed upon a suspension period of 1.5 years. Ymer also didn’t appreciate the 18-month-long suspension when his career was at an all-time high. The Swede has managed to attain the ranking of World No. 50 and is the No. 1 Swedish tennis player.

“Having already been cleared once, and wholeheartedly standing by the fact that I do not feel that the third offence was committed, I find their decision to try me again and subsequently find me guilty, unfair,” Ymer expressed his opinion on Twitter.

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Netizens react to Mikael Ymer’s early retirement

Mikael Ymer retires
Mikael Ymer retires (Image via Daily Express)

The post received millions of views and thousands of likes within a few hours. The fans and users had mixed reactions to the announcement. While most people hoped that he’d ‘change his mind’, they wished him well nonetheless. Others encouraged Ymer to ‘bounce back’ and fight the system. Check out some of the reactions to this news below.

https://twitter.com/1blackafrican/status/1695223394583666896

Ymer had been charged with a potential ‘anti-doping rule violation‘ last year in January when he failed to appear and missed 3 out-of-competition test attempts. Though, he said that he was cleared of the charges against him by an independent tribunal in June of the same year, but that the ITF had appealed the decision.

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