Canadian Milos Raonic, the 2016 Wimbledon runner-up, on Monday won his first match on tour after a near-two year injury absence in the opening round at ‘s-Hertogenbosch .
The 32-year-old beat 39th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4 as he returned to competition for the first time since July 2021.
Raonic, a former world number three, suffered a catalogue of injuries that derailed his career. He hadn’t won a match since the third round of the Miami Masters in March 2021.
“It’s nice to be here after almost two years now and stepping away for a long time,” Raonic told ATPTour.com.
“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.”
The big-serving Raonic will hope to add to his tally of four Wimbledon quarterfinals next month. He faces Jordan Thompson or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round in the Netherlands.
“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,” Raonic said. “It was pretty nerve-racking, I forgot that feeling.”
“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,” he said.
“I get the chance to be on court, 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.”
Daniil Medvedev is the tournament’s top seed. The Russian lost in last year’s final by surprise home winner Tim van Rijthoven.
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