Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic.Photo illustration The Globe and Mail. Source photo Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press/The Associated Press
If you’re a Canadian tennis fan, you’ve likely wondered in the past few years: Where is Milos Raonic?
The former Wimbledon finalist and one-time world No. 3 is set to play in Toronto, competing in Canada’s premier pro tennis tournament, for the first time in five years. Achilles tendon and toe injuries kept Raonic away from the ATP Tour since July, 2021. But now he’s four matches into a return – two of them wins, one at Wimbledon.
The 32-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., received a wild-card into the main draw of next week’s National Bank Open at Toronto’s Sobeys Stadium. He last played in this ATP Masters 1000 event in 2019 when it was held in Montreal. He hasn’t played it in his backyard since 2018, and is likely doing so here for the last time.
The 6-foot-5 Canadian known for his blistering serve has eight ATP Tour titles to his name. He was the first Canadian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final – in 2016, where he lost to Andy Murray. Raonic helped blaze a trail for a fast-following new generation of Canadian tennis players.
Following the absence, he now sits No. 546 in the ATP world rankings. After Toronto, he hopes to play the US Open too. After that? He hasn’t said. Raonic doesn’t call this a “comeback.” He made time during a recent training stint in Connecticut to answer The Globe’s weekly questionnaire.
How would you describe your current state of mind?
Grateful. To have had a chance to go to Wimbledon again – it was four years ago the last time I got to play it. Toronto has been five years. When I step on court, I still get into my old ways, where I don’t necessarily enjoy things, and I can get really obsessed with what I need to do right now. I’d like to enjoy things more.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
One thing I can pinpoint is the Wimbledon final. Also, making a life out of tennis, because I wasn’t the best junior around, yet I got to really live and do incredible things, thanks to tennis. The other part I’m very proud of – and I enjoy it more through other people’s conversations – is where Canadian tennis is nowadays, and people putting my name in that group. There was always good Canadian tennis, even before me, but maybe it was just a different level. But now pretty much every Grand Slam has six [Canadians] on the singles side, and more in doubles. It’s amazing.
What is your greatest regret?
I wish I could have done things better in that Wimbledon final. Would I call it a greatest regret? No, but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I wish I could have executed things a bit better and been more positive throughout it. Most likely, it wouldn’t have changed things. Andy was playing incredibly well, and he finished that year No. 1. But I think it would have settled things from my perspective a bit better.
What’s your most treasured possession?
My parents. One day, they won’t be around and I really try to enjoy every moment and try to do as many things as I can with them.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Unwavering optimism. I can be pretty critical, and I tend to find what’s wrong with things rather than what might be the positive in a situation.
Who are your favourite writers? Any particular books that resonate with you?
The first book that comes to mind is Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lessons [by Mitch Albom]. A mentor and friend gave it to me. I’ve reread it many times and gifted that book more than any other.
What’s an invitation you would love to receive?
Maybe to go to space. I heard a personal story from somebody that did the Blue Origin trip, and they said it was like the most transformative thing they ever got to enjoy.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The who for me is my parents. It’s about the amount of compassion they have towards me. The what for me is tennis. When I have time to think by myself, which can be dangerous for me, I always wonder if I’ll be able to find something that I love doing as much, and am as passionate about, as tennis.
So what’s the thing now that you most want to achieve?
Being at peace with decisions as they come. It was the hardest thing for me to be away from tennis for so long. When I couldn’t train, the days felt really long, without having that very focused attention, progress and a goal in sight, especially when the return was very far away. I think about what that four or five hours gives me – training kind of centres me. That’s the thing I wish to find in other ways, post-tennis.
What did you do in that time away from tennis?
At the beginning, there was really no rehabbing, because I was in a boot. I was so limited. I couldn’t stay on the baseline and do a split step because that was causing issues with my Achilles. So I signed up for a lot of school classes and read books and tried to learn about a lot of different things. I tried to find out what else I might enjoy. Then I would go to the gym, and shuffle around as much as I could. The nice thing is, I spent a lot of time with family.
So did you learn what else you might enjoy? What will you do next?
I think I’ve avoided answering that directly because the next thing I would want to do, I probably don’t want to do it in the eye of the public. I did enjoy my anonymity, having time for myself. I enjoyed my privacy. That’s why I also stayed away from doing media for a long time, because a) I didn’t have any clear answers [about the injuries] and b) I enjoyed doing things without any questions.
Do you have a standout memory from all the Canadian Opens you have played?
The final in 2013 in Montreal. The result was nothing to necessarily be proud of [he lost 6-2, 6-2 to Rafael Nadal]. But I remember stepping out on court and they announced that making the final was going to put me in the top 10. I got what seemed like a five- or 10-minute standing ovation. It was one of the few moments that I had goosebumps on a tennis court.
How would you describe what you’re doing right now? Should we call this a comeback?
I think it’s a ‘return’, especially coming to Toronto after five years. A ‘comeback’ assumes a lot of results, and things have to go a certain way. You assume you’re going to be able to do something for a very long time, but after two years away, you tend to start looking in shorter slices of time. For me, the biggest thing is enjoying it. It’s not like I’d get to come back to play in Toronto next year, right? It would be in Montreal next year, so that would be two years away. So I think this is more a return – and a chance to come back home – which is nice.