(Toronto) Milos Raonic’s appearance at the National Bank Open next month will be his first in four years and possibly his last.
The fact that he is back in competition is already very impressive, considering the numerous injuries that caused him to leave the sport.
The 32-year-old Ontarian earned a bye to the main draw at the tournament, which takes place Aug. 5-13 at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. Raonic has not participated in this Masters 1000 event since 2019, in Montreal.
Raonic, who was a finalist at the National Bank Open in 2013, has started something of a comeback after being sidelined for quite a while with injuries. He won his first match on the ATP Tour since July 2021 last month, but recently lost to American Tommy Paul in the second round at Wimbledon last Thursday.
“I think it’s a good possibility,” Raonic said when asked if this was his last appearance at the National Bank Open. When I wanted to play again, the Wimbledon tournament and the National Bank Open were part of the equation.
“The next opportunity to play in Toronto would have been in two years. I had these things in mind when I focused on getting back in shape. It gave me a clear goal to know that there was a strict timeline that I had to adhere to and focus on. »
After struggling with Achilles tendon and toe injuries, the former world No. 3 has told his family and sponsors he will no longer play tennis.
“At the end of 2021, I was sure of that,” Raonic said. I was just in pain. I got to a point where I couldn’t even jump rope or things like that. My goal was not to play tennis for fun, my goal was to play at a high level of competition. The idea of barely being able to jump rope or jog seemed so far away. »
Raonic withdrew from a make-up tournament before Wimbledon with a shoulder injury, but said he took some time off to heal.
Quebec’s Félix Auger-Aliassime (no. 12) and Ontario’s Denis Shapovalov (no. 29) will be the other Canadian representatives in the main draw.
The main headliners will also be present: world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and the holder of 23 career Grand Slam titles – and five-time National Bank Open champion – Novak Djokovic (No. 2).
