"I only ate one steak a day for 4-5 weeks, wouldn't recommend it to anybody" - Milos Raonic reveals secret to losing 40 pounds on the way to comeback
Milos Raonic revealed the secret to how he lost 40 pounds in the lead-up to his comeback on tour, admitting that he ate only one steak a day for 4-5 weeks. While the diet clearly helped the Canadian, he was quick to note that he would not recommend it to anyone else.
After being on the sidelines for 23 months due to injury, Raonic returned to action at the Liberma Open earlier this year, where he earned a first-round win over Miomir Kecmanovic. The former World No. 3 also competed at Wimbledon after that, reaching the second round, where he fell to Tommy Paul.
In a recent interview with Open Court, the 32-year-old opened up about the weight loss he had to undergo as part of his rehab, as most of his injuries had been to the lower body. Raonic, therefore, decided that he would be better off carrying less weight on the court and put himself on the strange diet.
However, he acknowledged that it was not a "smart" thing to do, adding that there were large parts of the experience that he did not enjoy. At the same time, Milos Raonic knew at the back of his mind that he could always build his muscles back once he lost the weight and "sucked it up."
"Most of my injuries have been to the lower body, so I knew I needed (to do) something to give myself the best chance. I only ate one steak a day for about 4-5 weeks. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. I don't think it was a smart thing to do. There were a lot of parts to it that I didn't enjoy. ... but I was willing to do it," Milos Raonic said.
"I lost a lot of muscle during that, for sure, but I knew I could always build muscle if needed that go the other way. This was all the way in January, so I knew I had the time to get things ready. It wasn't advised to me by anybody, and it is not meant to be advised, but it's what got me there. I sucked it up and tried to make the most of it." he added.
When asked if he had a good steak, Raonic joked that even the best of steaks would not taste very good if one had to have the same meal five days in a row.
"A very good steak, but a very good steak after 5 days in a row doesn't taste very good," Milos Raonic said.
"The logical thing was to go to Wimbledon" - Milos Raonic on his comeback plans
During the same interview, Milos Raonic also said that he had initially planned to make a return to action at the Australian Open, only to be hit with another injury just before the tournament.
As a result, the Canadian decided to skip the clay swing altogether and return for grass, calling Wimbledon the "logical" choice. Up next, Raonic will be playing at the Canadian Open in front of his home fans and family. The former World No. 3 has been handed a wildcard for the Masters 1000 event.
"During the preseason I was planning to return for the Australian Open. There the expectations would be lower and also everyone was starting from scratch, but I got injured, and I met with my team to see what we would do. It was clear to me that I didn't want to play the clay tour beaten because it's very demanding, and my body could go wrong," Milos Raonic said.
"So there was no point in coming back for Indian Wells and Miami, because I could have only played two games and then waited three months before playing again. It wouldn't have made sense. The logical thing was to go to Wimbledon and then to Toronto, where I hope to perform well in front of my whole family," he added.