Raonic: 'I Was My Own Worst Enemy Today'

Some days, the mind and body just aren’t in sync. For Milos Raonic, Wednesday was one of those days at Flushing Meadows.

The fifth-seeded Canadian conceded stress and cramps were a significant factor in falling 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 to American Ryan Harrison in the US Open second round. It is the first time Harrison has progressed as far at a major, while it marks the first time this season Raonic has failed to reach the fourth round at a major.

“I was my own worst enemy today,” Raonic said. “I tried the best I could to find my way out of it. My body didn’t let me. It was numerous things: the left arm; right forearm there towards the end of the third; both quads; a little bit hip flexor on the left.”

The Canadian finished with 18 aces but threw in an uncharacteristic 15 double faults. He won just 67 per cent of first-serve points to Harrison’s 74 per cent and was brought undone by 62 errors, almost double his opponent’s.

“I think I hesitated at the beginning. I forced a little bit. I wasn’t moving that well. Then later on, a bunch of those were sort of out of my hand,” Raonic said of the error count. “There were points there that I could barely hold the racquet. I was just sort of trying to get through, either hope it subsides after a certain amount of time or gets better. It just didn’t happen.

“I can’t remember a single time where I’ve lost a match because of cramping.”

In a breakout year for the Canadian, expectations were high after reaching his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Still, he was adamant he had not piled too much of that pressure on himself.

“I think I put it on myself the same way in London,” he said. “I think I put it on myself the same way the beginning of the year in Australia. I believe a lot in myself. I try to get the most out of every single time, out of all the important tournaments.

“Now I have a bunch of tournaments left to play with specific goals in mind of what I would like to do for the rest of the year. I’m going to try to get every inch out of maximising that as well.”

Despite the loss, Raonic remains in strong contention to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Coming into the US Open he was third in the Emirates ATP Race To London with 4,375 points, 1,845 points clear of ninth-placed Tomas Berdych. The Top 8 finishers in the Race qualify for the season finale, to be held 13-20 November at The O2.