Raonic To Build On Breakthrough Run

Much has changed for Milos Raonic since he last arrived home to contest the Rogers Cup. Two former World No. 1s being added to the coaching fray and a maiden Grand Slam final appearance only a matter of weeks ago are bringing a new wave of hype to Canada’s great hope.

Contesting his first event since his run to the Wimbledon decider, including the defeat of seven-time former champion Roger Federer en route, Raonic has been careful not to get carried away with the surge in publicity. He arrives in Toronto with his day job first and foremost on his mind. It is a mindset Carlos Moya and John McEnroe have emphasised since joining Riccardo Piatti in the coaching ranks this season.

“For sure there’s been a lot of positive attention after the past few weeks so it’s definitely been fun coming home but at the same time it’s easy to remember I’m here for the tennis so I’ve stayed away from it all and tried to put all my attention to preparing,” the 25 year old said. “At the end of the day, I’m not here for anything other than tennis.”

Seeded fourth this week, Raonic enters with a 37-9 match record on the season (17-3 on hard) in what will be his seventh Rogers Cup main draw appearance. He was runner-up in 2013 (l. to Nadal) and reached the quarter-finals in 2012 (l. to Isner) and 2014 (l. to Lopez). Last year, he lost in his opening match after a first-round bye to Karlovic in two tie-break sets. 

Beyond his runner-up showing at Wimbledon, it has been an impressive season for the Canadian. He opened the year with an eighth ATP World Tour title in Brisbane (d. Federer) and followed it up with a semi-final finish at the Australian Open (l. to Murray in five sets). He was also runner-up at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic) and Queen’s Club (l. to Murray). It is the defeats, not the victories, which Raonic is learning from most.

“Those losses stick with me a lot more than the wins,” he said. “You go back and re-watch and you re-evalute and so forth. I don’t have any intention of watching that [Wimbledon] semi-final match but I have, and will again, watch that final match (l. to Murray) to learn.

“I did a lot of things well but there’s certain things I need to do to improve. I think mentally I could have been better in that situation and that’s what I’m going to strive to do throughout this tournament, to keep getting better.”