Milos Raonic delighted home fans at the Canadian Masters on Monday after recording a shock three-set win over Frances Tiafoe in the first round.
Raonic fired a staggering 37 aces during his 6-7(11), 7-6(4), 6-3, win over the world No.10 in what was only his fifth match played since 2021. The former world No.3 missed all of last season due to a series of injury issues which included problems with his Achilles and a broken toe. It is the first time he has beaten a top 10 player on the Tour since the 2020 Cincinnati Masters when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“I’ve known through practice, I’ve been able to see the level I can play.” Said Raonic.
“I’ve always said it doesn’t matter how much you do the right things. You never know when things kind of click and come together for you.’
‘if that match went a different way, I think it still would have been a positive stepping stone to the progress I’m making.”
It wasn’t just Raonic’s fitness that was tested in his latest clash, it was also his mentality after a dramatic end to the first set which resulted in the tournament supervisor being called to the court. With Tiafoe leading 10-9, the American hit a winning crosscourt shot before crashing into the net upon winning the point. Prompting the Canadian to argue that he had won the point. Umpire Fergus Murphy initially called it a foul point before immediately overturning his decision which handed the world No.10 the first set. The reason why he did so was because Tiafoe touch the part between the singles stick and net post which is considered as a permanent fixture and not part of the net. That decision infuriated Raonic who shortly after smashed his racket out of frustration.
“I don’t have faith that they were being completely honest, but it is what it is. I think they just handled it badly, whatever the rule would have been. I just didn’t think it was handled.” He commented on the incident.
As to how he managed to bounce back after losing the first set, the 32-year-old has hailed the support he received from those watching him at the Sobeys Stadium. This week is the first time he is playing in a tournament on home soil since 2019.
“I’m not necessarily the best player involving the crowd. I just kind of keep my head down and I do my thing,” he admits.
“I think that got everybody riled up, excited and more into the match. I think that just kind of gave me some momentum and some force going forward.”
Raonic has now produced 31 wins over top 10 opponents and won 375 Tour-level matches so far in his career. In the second round of the Canadian Masters, he will play Japan’s Taro Daniel. Should he win, it will be the first time he has recorded back-to-back wins on the Tour since the 2021 Miami Masters.
