Devastated Raonic withdraws from Montreal Masters

The Canadian expressed his frustration at yet another injury, which forced him to withdraw from opening match with Holger Rune at Montreal Masters

Action Plus / Panoramic

Olly Paton

August 7, 2024

Milos Raonic, a former finalist, had to withdraw from the Montreal Masters due to a shoulder injury. He was due to face No 17 Holger Rune in his opening match, in what promised to be a blockbuster match in front of a home crowd.

The Canadian, who emphasised that he needs more tests to diagnose the exact issue, expressed his frustration during a post-withdrawal press conference on Tuesday night:

“I’ve had a lot of moments where I haven’t been able to play, but I would say this is probably the most difficult one. Yeah, because, A, I haven’t played here in five years. I don’t know if I’ll come back to Montreal. You’re talking about two years away, like all these kind of things. It’s just a very s***** feeling.”

I don’t know if I’ll come back to Montreal
A disappointed Raonic speaks post-withdrawal

Raonic has had multiple injuries, both minor and more major, over the last five years, and comparisons have been drawn between the Canadian and players like Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray, whose results were at their best at a similar time:

“If I was to have a hip injury, for me maybe it’s a little bit easier to get over because I don’t need to run as much,” he said.

“You are talking about different styles of play and all these kind of things. As relatable as things can be, I think you sympathise, but I don’t think you can really have this really in depth conversation about it and these kind of things because each moment is so different.

“All three of us are very different body shapes. The way we play is very different. I think each instance is a very unique one that very few things probably carry over from one person’s experience to the next.”