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IMAGE: Milos Raonic is glad to be again on court docket after a two-year injury-forced break. {Photograph}: Hector Vivas/Getty Photographs
On the face of it there was nothing extraordinary about Canadian Milos Raonic’s fiftieth tour degree win on grass within the opening spherical of this week’s — Hertogenbosch event — a 6-3 6-4 defeat of Miomir Kecmanovic.
However for the previous world quantity three it marked the top of an harm nightmare that sidelined him for 2 years and made him doubt whether or not he would ever play once more.
The large-serving 32-year-old was as soon as an everyday within the second week of Grand Slam tournaments and he reached the Wimbledon closing in 2016 when he was overwhelmed by Andy Murray.
However the accidents that had nagged him all through his profession returned with a vengeance in 2021 and after three months out with leg accidents one other comeback stalled and he took a hiatus from the sport that seemed like changing into everlasting.
So Monday’s win over Kecmanovic was an emotional one for the Montenegro-born right-hander whose breakthrough impressed a brand new technology of Canucks equivalent to Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov and 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.
“It is good to be right here after nearly two years now and stepping away for a very long time,” Raonic advised ATPTour.com.
“It is good to be giving it yet another attempt to hopefully going so far as I can. I’ve put in the most effective effort I might, and I wish to see how far it takes me.”
Raonic seemed composed all through the competition during which he provided loads of glimpses of the serving energy and thunderous forehand, however conceded he had been nervous.
“I did not get to hit a single tennis ball for a full yr, now I get to play in entrance of a bunch of individuals,” Raonic mentioned. “It was fairly nerve-racking, I forgot that feeling.”
Raonic, who’s taking part in with a protected rating, mentioned he takes issues ‘daily’ and simply having fun with the experience, after his very long time away.
“It has been somewhat heartbreaking plenty of the time once I could not do something and it is good for me to be right here yet another time,” he mentioned.
“I get the prospect to be on court docket, the prospect to play, I get the prospect to compete, to place within the work, and I get an opportunity to see how far it takes me, so I am grateful.”
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