Raonic: “I need to execute better.”

Returning from injury to make the final of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event would be a considerable feat for any player, but Milos Raonic believes he still has room for improvement after dropping a 6-2, 6-0 decision to Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.

“I need to work harder,” the Canadian said. “I need to execute better. I think I’m on the right track. It’s about putting things together and being effective.

“I think I have it within me, but obviously I need to reach a lot deeper to find that execution.”

Despite being broken five times, Raonic did not do badly on first-serve points, winning 23 of 30 against the No. 1 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings. However, he only landed 50 per cent of first serves and managed to win just 10 per cent of second-serve points (3/30).

“You know what Novak can bring, and you know that he’s the best returner probably of all time,” Raonic noted. “Not only is he good when the ball is close to him, he’s even very good when it’s far away from him, making you play and neutralizing the point very well in that situation.”

The big server look to be hampered by a lower-body injury and took a medical time-out after the first set to receive treatment.

“[It felt] similar, but not as bad,” said Raonic, who sustained an adductor injury at the Australian Open. “I don’t think I let it get as bad. I have to do the right investigation. Just sort of see what it is and then I can judge it from there.”

Sunday’s final outcome notwithstanding, Raonic is happy with his progress.

“There are a lot of positives to take away. Right now it’s very disappointing, but at the end of the day, until two weeks ago I didn’t do any side-to-side movement and I didn’t play any points,” he said. “To be here playing in the final of one of the most important tournaments in our year is great progress. I look to sort of keep that going forward, try to be healthy and try to get better every day.”