With two wins and the associated entry into the round of 16 at the ATP 1000 tournament in Toronto Milos Raonic more than flashed his class from days gone by and was grateful for the support of local tennis fans.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edited: 08/12/2023, 09:06 am
© Getty Images
With the crowd behind him, Milos Raonic thrived in Toronto.
From a Canadian point of view, the field should actually be prepared in advance for the victorious Davis Cup heroes at the Masters event in Toronto. At the opening of the tournament, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Alliassime and Vasek Pospisil were honored with the ring for their team triumph in Malaga.
Davis Cup trio without a win
However, the sporting confirmation of the successful trio in the Sobeys Stadium left a lot to be desired. The newly engaged Shapovalov had to cancel his start before the tournament because of a knee injury. Auger-Alliassime, also plagued by various ailments, is in a form crisis and said goodbye to the Australian Max Purcell without winning a set. A march through by Pospisils, who was only allowed to make his appearance in the main draw because of a wildcard, was not to be expected anyway.
Raonic and Diallo step into the breach
Thus, the stage was set for other exploits under the flag of the maple leaf. After a strong performance, 21-year-old Gabriel Diallo was able to be celebrated by the audience after his victory against the newly crowned Washington Champion Daniel Evans from Great Britain. Nevertheless, the hearts of the home crowd belonged to former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, who has only recently returned to the tour after a break of more than 2 years.
After his 3-set coup against top 10 player Frances Tiafoe from the United States, the 32-year-old Raonic was able to do it again and defeated the Japanese Taro Daniel in two sets. The battery was probably a bit empty against the American Mackenzie McDonald, but the former world number 3. look back on a great tournament week.
Big support from the fans
Raonic was full of praise for the immense support from the home fans: “I think it’s the most special and lovable thing I’ve experienced in the three matches here. I am very grateful for that. You all know about my ups and downs over the last few months and years, that makes it well beyond worthwhile.”
When asked if he would be back in Toronto for the next edition of the tournament in 2025, the Montenegrin native replied, “I tried to enjoy every aspect of the tournament as much as possible. I’ve been away on my own for two years and I know it’s an incredibly long time. Many things can change in such a period of time. I probably won’t be able to answer that even in 12 months. So I have to look further ahead and tackle it in the short term.”
Raonic has canceled next week’s tournament in Cincinnati to take a break. Freshly strengthened and with regained self-confidence, the Canadian wants to return to the US Open.
Here is the individual tableau from Toronto
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2023-08-12 10:32:00
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