Thirty-three-year-old Milos Raonic is through to the second round of the ABN AMRO Open. He defeated 23-year-old Dutch wildcard Jesper de Jong 7-6(5), 6-4.
The Canadian, a former world No. 3, is now ranked world No. 309 and using his protected ranking to rebuild his career. For the past two years, he’s had a terrible run of injuries and illness—Achilles, back, thigh, a broken toe, and Covid-19—that have kept him out of the game.
In 2013, Raonic became the first Canadian to break into the Top 10.
He has advanced to 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals and three Grand Slam semifinals, beating Federer in five sets to become the first Canadian Grand Slam men’s singles finalist at Wimbledon in 2016.
This is Raonic’s third appearance in Rotterdam. In 2015, he reached the semifinal, and in 2019 the second round, losing on both occasions to Wawrinka.
On Monday evening, on Centre Court, Raonic dominated with his serve. He won 97% of his first serve points and struck 20 aces.
Overall, he looked very sharp, considering he has not played many matches. He created eight break-point chances and was able to convert one, which was enough to go through in two sets.
After the match, in an interview with Tennis TV, Raonic said of his comeback to the tour: “I love the competition. I love competing. I love when I’m home and have something to train for, a purpose.
“It’s moments like these. To be here, to be competitive in these situations, and when I get here, to try to find a way to win.
“So, to get to do that now is a testament to all the work that you kind of put in away from many eyes. And I can be only happy and proud with it, and it doesn’t stop here. I want to keep going.”
Raonic said that he was listening to his body all the time and didn’t know what tournaments he would playing.
“I went to Australia feeling great. That didn’t turn out so great for me.
“Unfortunately, things change day by day. My mentality, my attitude, and my drive doesn’t, but what my body tells me I can do does. So, I just take it as they come. And day in, day out, I just make try to make the best decisions I can each and every day with whatever I’m presented.”
Next up for Raonic is eighth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.
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