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More injury concerns for Milos Raonic as he's thumped by Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells final

More injury concerns for Milos Raonic as he's thumped by Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells final

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – After five losses in five attempts against Novak Djokovic, and poor showings in his two previous appearances in Masters 1000-level tournament finals, Milos Raonic planned a different outcome this time around.

But his body, and the considerable skills of the undisputed world No. 1, conspired against him. The 6-2, 6-0 defeat in the BNP Paribas Open final Sunday took just an hour and 17 minutes and left the 25-year-old Canadian with unanswered questions about his health going into a similarly big tournament next week in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Here's what a sombre Raonic had to say afterwards.

Raonic went off court for a medical timeout after the first set, which typically means the area that needs treating couldn't be accessed without exposing a little too much Raonic to the large crowd on hand in Indian Wells for the men's and women's finals Sunday.

In other words, a good chance it was in the adductor area, the injury that scuttled Raonic's Australian Open hopes in January. Raonic said it felt similar – though not as acute – and that he needed more information before he could confirm it. He did add that perhaps his body was instinctively protecting the area by not allowing him to move as freely as he wanted to.

But Raonic also said any physical limitations he had didn't have a huge impact on the outcome.

"I don't think it affected my effort. I thought he played much better than I did. I struggled again, just like last time, to start the match well, and then he's the best player in the world at this moment and a good step ahead of everybody," Raonic said. "He took the most advantage of that."

Raonic called Djokovic "the best returner, probably, of all time". Certainly, the Canadian's own stats on serve show a marked difference when Djokovic is returning, compared to every other player he has faced in his career; his success rate drops by a third. "You know what Novak can bring ... Not only is he good when the ball is close to him, he's even very good when it's far away from him, making you play and neutralizing the point very well in that situation," he said. "I think it's just – you know, I wish I could have been better in that situation."

Raonic had a rough time on every level Sunday in the Indian Wells final, and may have injury concerns going forward. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Raonic had a rough time on every level Sunday in the Indian Wells final, and may have injury concerns going forward. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Djokovic said he was in the zone.

"I'm just glad to be able to raise the level of my game as the tournament progresses, and that's something that I have been doing in the last two years particularly on the big events. I have been managing to win most of the big matches against top 10 players," he said. "You know, obviously I have a certain routine and certain preparation for these big matches that works for me, again. Everybody is different. But I have been – I will try to follow that kind of routine and get myself in that state of mind where I'm able to get the best out of myself when it's most needed."

When Raonic arrived in Indian Wells two weeks ago after a period of intense rehab in Los Angeles, partly to fuel the faint hope that might still play for Canada in its Davis Cup, he had barely moved laterally and hadn't even played any points.

So to reach the final, with emphatic victories over Tomas Berdych and Gaël Monfils, among others, was an impressive effort and showed once again that even after long injury absences, Raonic is capable of picking up right where he left off. This year, with a revamped game plan that still likely isn't yet deep into his tennis DNA, that's even more of a feat.

He will jump from No. 14 to No. 12 in the rankings with the effort, a few steep steps down from where he has been, and wants to be again. But on his way.