"I have a lot of respect for them, but my situation is different" - Milos Raonic in awe of comebacks of Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and Gael Monfils
Milos Raonic recently talked about how he compares to other players that came back from serious injuries, such as Andy Murray, Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, and others.
Raonic returned to the professional tour earlier this year after more than two years away from competition due to different injuries, defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Hertogenbosch Open, 6-3, 6-4, in his first match back.
The results thus far haven't been at the level that Raonic's fans were used to before the injuries, but the main thing for the Canadian is to see how his body holds up and whether he can keep his career going.
After losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at the start of the 2023 US Open, Raonic talked to Telegraf and explained how he's feeling at the moment.
"It could be better. I have a lot of problems from day to day, but at least my body is fine when I go out on the court to find my level of play. Now the only problem is to put the two together and to stay in a good physical condition as long as possible when I play," Milos Raonic said.
Raonic is on a long list of top players that had their career paths sidelined because of injuries, including the likes of Monfils, Murray and Wawrinka. Interestingly, the Canadian insisted that his case was different to that of the others.
"I have a lot of respect for them, but I think my situation is a little different than theirs. First, they are older. They have been around for a long time and they were there for me to see what it might look like when I get back on the court," Raonic said.
The 32-year-old admires Murray the most because his situation was 'very difficult.'
"I watched Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, and Andy Murray... Although, Andy's situation was very difficult. When you saw the problems he had after that operation... I have great respect for those comebacks."
"It took a long time for Wawrinka to find his level, Murray had the same problems, he only won Antwerpen, but he also had a lot of problems. I am satisfied that I managed to find some level, but I am not left without problems," Raonic explained.
The former Wimbledon finalist doesn't have high goals in mind; instead, he just wants to see how his body holds up, taking everything one day at a time.
"You cannot leave for two years and continue where you were, you'll be at least two or three steps behind. At the end of the day, you're starting from scratch. I didn't hit a ball for 11 months. You do everything you can from day to day, you have to be fair and try hard to see how much it all holds up," Raonic concluded.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal "messed with everybody's expectation", says Milos Raonic
Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic thinks that Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal "messed up with everybody's expectations" because of their unprecedented success on the tour.
In a recent interview, the 32-year-old talked about how the Big-3 has changed people's view on tennis and how the game has evolved since they entered the stage.
"I think just three guys, to have three exemplary kind of legendary athletes in one sport, not even in one generation, period, but in one sport at the same time, you kind of messed with everybody's expectation (or recalibration) of what is normal, right?" Raonic said during the Hertogenbosch Open.
Raonic remembered his beginnings, when the Big-3 was dominating and, along with Andy Murray, was at the end of every big tournament.
"When I was first on tour, it was pretty much them and Andy. Pretty much, I would say, 60%, 70% of the semifinals were them. And maybe when it came to clay, David Ferrer was kind of the guy changing things up a little bit," Raonic said.
"So, yeah, you had three guys that were there all the time and winning most of the events," he added.