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Milos Raonic ‘disappointed’ by depleted Rogers Cup draw
Every time another one of tennis' top players announce they'll be skipping the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Milos Raonic's chances of making a prolonged run at his hometown tournament gets better. Raonic, however, would prefer to see the big names stick around.
He knows if he's to become a legitimate threat on the ATP Tour he needs to knock off those ahead of him in the rankings instead of cruising through depleted draws. When asked about the litany of drop-outs, Raonic told the Globe and Mail, "I want to play against those guys and win against those guys. Those opportunities missing and especially here, where I grew up and play well, it's a little disappointing."
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The 21-year-old, who hails from nearby Thornhill, will have the support of the entire crowd when he takes the court against either Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia or Viktor Troicki of Serbia in the second-round (as the 16th seed, Raonic qualifies for a first-round bye).
Raonic has never faced either player in a main draw, but did beat Bogomolov Jr., in straight sets in a US Open qualifying match back in 2010. The Canadian should have the upper hand no matter who his opponent is as he outranks both the Russian and the Serbian by 24 and 9 spots respectively in the world rankings.
It does get much harder for Raonic in the third-round though. Fresh off a victory over Roger Federer in the gold medal match at the London Olympics, the No. 2 seed Andy Murray, who will face a qualifier to open his tournament, will be waiting for Raonic should he advance.
[More: Murray routs Federer to take Olympic gold]
Murray, who is sure to be drained both physically and emotionally, could be less concerned with advancing deep at the Rogers Cup and more concerned with making it back to London for the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. No one is implying that Murray won't be giving his all in Toronto, but the Scot will be one of the stars of the show when the Olympics wrap up should he make it back in time.
No matter who he faces there's no question Raonic will be the overwhelming crowd favourite. While he'll enjoy the extra attention, he knows it's not about who garners the most cheers but who plays the best, telling the Edmonton Sun:
"For sure it's going to be something pretty amazing, pretty special, and I think it can help me through a lot of moments throughout a match," Raonic said. "But at the end of the day, I've got to try to do what I've been doing so far this year. I feel like I'm playing well right now, I feel like I'm doing a lot of things well.
"Even though there's going to be the crowd support and everything, at the end of the day I have to try to tune that out as much and go about my business."
Whether there's 12 or 12,000 people in the stands, the Rogers Cup presents a tremendous opportunity for Milos to assert himself as a force to be reckon with on the final leg of the ATP Tour. But if he's victorious against a reduced draw in Toronto, would it make his first Masters tournament crown any less sweet?
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