Former No 3 makes winning return to court after two-year break
In his first match in nearly two years, Milos Raonic wasted no time going back into the swing of things on Monday at the Libema Open in’s-Hertogenbosch.
The former World No 3 quickly defeated Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia.
The Canadian has been out since July 2021 due to a slew of ailments, but his comeback in the Netherlands could not have gone much better.
During his 6-3, 6-4 triumph over world No 39 Kecmanovic, Raonic won 92% (34/37) of points behind his massive first serve.
“It’s nice to be here after almost two years now and stepping away for a long time,” Raonic said after his triumphant return at the grass-court ATP 250 event in the Netherlands.
“It’s nice to be giving it one more try and hopefully going as far as I can. I’ve put in the best effort I could, and I want to see how far it takes me.
“It’s been a real pleasure to get to play in front of people. I didn’t get to hit a single tennis ball for a full year, now I get to play in front of a bunch of people. It was pretty nerve-wracking, I forgot that feeling. To be honest with you it might have been a little bit easier if I played in front of nobody today.”
Raonic earned his 50th tour-level victory on grass with the 85-minute triumph.
The 2016 Wimbledon finalist and eight-time ATP Tour winner admitted that his excellent start in’s-Hertogenbosch was just one little step in a long road back.
“[I’m taking it] day by day,” said Raonic. “It’s been a little heartbreaking a lot of the time when I couldn’t do anything and it’s nice for me to be here one more time. I get the chance to be on court, I get the chance to play, I get the chance to compete, to put in the work, and I get a chance to see how far it takes me, so I’m thankful.”
When the 32-year-old next competes in the Netherlands against Jordan Thompson or qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, he will look to prolong his return and reach the last eight.
Also on Monday, Ugo Humbert and Marc-Andrea Huesler both won their first matches in straight sets. The seventh-seeded Humbert defeated Jason Kubler 6-4, 6-2 to capture the biggest victory of his career on grass at the ATP 500 tournament in Halle in 2021. The resurgent Frenchman, who dropped as low as No. 108 in January but has now No 36 in the ATP Rankings, will play either Emil Ruusuvuori or Brandon Nakashima in the second round.
Huesler stunned eighth-seeded Maxime Cressy 6-2, 7-6(2) to win his first match in’s-Hertogenbosch. The 26-year-old Swiss won his first tour-level match on grass in his third attempt. He will now play either home wildcard Gijs Brouwer or Rinky Hijikata.
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