Will Frequent Injuries Prevent Milos Raonic from Fulfilling His Potential?
For some athletes, the toughest opponent they face isn’t across the net or on the opposite side of the field—it’s their own body.
Just ask Milos Raonic.
The ultra-talented 25-year-old has shown a penchant for racking up wins and physical ailments in his young career. Right as he starts building momentum and taking his game to the next level, an injury inevitably sets him back.
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Fitness shouldn’t be an issue with Raonic; the guy seems like he lives in the gym. Muscle-bound with tree trunks for legs, he casts an imposing presence on the court. The 6’5” Canadian even looks to have slimmed down in the past year in an effort to lessen the wear on his body and improve his lateral quickness.
Yet all that weight training can’t guarantee good health. Certain players are simply more prone to being brittle.
Barely into his mid-20s, Raonic has already compiled a lengthy list of problems.
Way back at Wimbledon in 2011, he suffered an awkward fall during a second-round match and hurt his hip. That episode necessitated a trip under the knife and forced him to skip the entire U.S. Open Series to recover. A huge blow at the time for the ascending prodigy.
He’d avoid major injuries during the next two seasons, and that period of stability helped his game really soar in 2014 when he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the All England Club. While Raonic received a lesson in the art of grass-court tennis that day from Roger Federer, a new milestone had nevertheless been achieved.
Later qualifying for his first appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals, things were trending up for Raonic.
Then they came crashing down.
A right quad tear came at the most inopportune time, forcing a dejected Raonic to withdraw from the event. Trying to prevent further damage, he opted for rest instead of putting his body at further risk.
That injury was the precursor to more physical breakdowns.
Try as he might, Raonic couldn’t stay at 100 percent throughout a challenging 2015 season. After pinching a nerve in his right foot last spring, Raonic had to undergo surgery, eventually missing the Italian Open and French Open to recuperate. Rising to a career-high mark of No. 4 at the time of the injury, a hampered Raonic began a downward spiral.
After falling in the third round at Queen's Club and Wimbledon upon his return, he sat out a Davis Cup tie against Belgium and the Washington Open because of nagging pain in his foot. Compensating for that injury, Raonic began to put unnecessary stress on other parts of his body.
His summer slump intensified after opening-round losses in Montreal and Cincinnati and culminated with a third-round exit at the U.S. Open.
Raonic picked up a title in St. Petersburg last September, but he tweaked his hip weeks later in Shanghai and labored through the tournament. He'd spend the remainder of the fall consulting with doctors on how to proceed moving forward.
The time off didn't spare him from further back spasms, which made him pull out of International Premier Tennis League events in December. After all those trials and tribulations, he finished 2015 with a less-than-stellar 33-16 record.
Needless to say, Raonic had a lot to prove heading into this season, both in terms of his health and the state of his game.
Reflecting on his injury-plagued year, Raonic told Tennis.com's Matt Cronin:
"It was frustrating—I openly spoke about I want to make a true breakthrough at a Slam last year. It was frustrating for many aspects. …
To see myself slip a little bit, even though I knew it was not necessarily strictly to my tennis level but outside things … In some ways [it was] also depressing to deal with.
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Having to face all that turmoil only strengthened his resolve. Rejuvenated, Raonic has raised his level to begin the 2016 campaign. However, he has not been able to remain completely injury-free.
After beating Roger Federer in straight sets to win the Brisbane crown, Raonic upped the ante at the Australian Open. Outlasting Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, he booked a semifinal showdown with Andy Murray for a chance to reach his first Grand Slam final.
From the first ball, his game was clicking. Thunderous serves and booming forehands put Murray on his heels, giving Raonic a two-sets-to-one lead. So close to the finish line he could taste it.
His body had other ideas. Surprise, surprise.
Toward the end of the third set, Raonic hurt his adductor muscle. Later diagnosed as a tear, he attempted to fight through the pain. But his level dropped off, and Murray pounced for a five-set win.
"I couldn't push off, I couldn't get up to serve, and I couldn't change direction," Raonic told CBC Sports (h/t Associated Press) after the match. "Probably the most heartbroken I've felt on court."
Just one set separated him from the biggest victory of his life. We can only imagine how much that had to sting. Nursing his wounds, he wouldn't play again for several weeks.
Rest did him well, and Raonic came back a revitalized player at the BNP Paribas Open.
An impressive run to the finals in Indian Wells included wins over top-20 players Bernard Tomic, Tomas Berdych, Monfils and David Goffin. Yet Raonic’s quest for his first Masters Series title was undone in the championship match due to an in-form Novak Djokovic and a leg issue.
Djokovic ceded only two games to Raonic, who left the court for medical treatment at one point. Discouraged by that turn of events, his otherwise promising week ended with a whimper.
It's a shame that frequent injuries have stunted his progress the last few seasons and overshadowed his growth this season. With a 14-2 record, he's currently second in the year-to-date points race. But how long can he hold up physically?
Injuries always seem to be around the corner for him. Raonic employs a physical brand of tennis, using his natural power to pulverize the ball. Finesse? Not so much. And that style takes a toll on him.
Whether he needs to adjust how he plays and his training regimen are questions he'll need to answer with his team. At this point, everything should be under the microscope as he searches for sustained health.
There's no doubt he has the potential to win majors. Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim recently predicted (via Sportsnet) that Raonic will conquer Wimbledon this summer. That sentiment isn't all that far-fetched.
With his game and confidence improving so much in recent months, Raonic should be considered a legitimate contender. Still, there's no ability as valuable as availability for a professional athlete.
That lesson is one Raonic knows all too well by now.
All statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
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