NEW YORK—Milos Raonic, who underwent minor surgery to correct a pinched nerve in his right foot, has been slow to come back from injury. The world No. 10 pulled out of the French Open and returned during the grass-court season, where he lost in the third round at both Queen's Club and Wimbledon. The Canadian then pulled out of Davis Cup and did not win a match at the two hard-court Masters events coming into the U.S. Open.
On Monday, Raonic beat American Tim Smyczek in straight sets for his first win since June.
“I guess it's just because I've missed the feeling of just being able to play tennis without thinking twice," Raonic said. "Just go out there, spend as much time as you want on court, and be as productive as you can... It hasn't always been that way for the last few months. It's been more, 'Can I do this? Can I do that?' It's sort of that second-guessing, which can be a bit tiring but also frustrating when things aren't going as smooth as you hope.”
Raonic added that 2014 was a high point when he was ranked in the Top 8, and compatriot Eugenie Bouchard was in the Top 5. But this year, things have changed since he's been hurt and Bouchard is struggling.
“I think last year it was sort of like, to put it to words, a pleasant surprise,” he said. “I think this year it's been maybe people expecting things to go up, up, up as quick as it was last year. It never is that way. There's many road bumps, and it's about the way you deal with things. Obviously I've had my own. Trying to figure out a way to stay healthy as much as I can. It sort of gives me specific goals for specific parts of your year. Maybe your objectives change a little bit and you see it a different way, what you need to work on.”