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Milos Raonic wasted little time getting back to business on Monday at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where the former World No. 3 raced to victory against Miomir Kecmanovic in his first match for almost two years.
A series of injuries have kept the Canadian sidelined since July 2021 but his comeback in the Netherlands could hardly have gone more smoothly. Raonic notched a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the World No. 39 Kecmanovic during which he won 92 per cent (34/37) of points behind his first serve.
“It’s nice to be here after almost two years now and stepping away for a long time,” said Raonic after his emotional comeback triumph at the grass-court ATP 250. “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.
“It’s been a real pleasure to get to play in front of people. 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. It was pretty nerve-wracking, I forgot that feeling. To be honest with you it might have been a little bit easier if I played in front of nobody today.”
What a comeback 🫶
After two years away from the tour @milosraonic claims victory 👏@LibemaOpen | #LibemaOpen pic.twitter.com/VJb0H4sSn9
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 12, 2023
The 85-minute victory was Raonic’s 50th tour-level win on grass. The eight-time ATP Tour champion, who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2016, acknowledged his strong start in ‘s-Hertogenbosch was another small step in a long journey back.
“[I’m taking it] day by day,” said Raonic. “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. I get the chance to be on court, I get 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.”
The 32-year-old will seek to extend his comeback when he takes on Jordan Thompson or qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard next in the Netherlands.
Medvedev, Sinner, Tsitsipas, Kyrgios Kick Off Grass Swing
Ugo Humbert and Marc-Andrea Huesler also enjoyed straight-sets opening wins on Monday. The seventh-seeded Humbert, who won the biggest title of his career on grass in 2021 at the ATP 500 event in Halle, downed Jason Kubler 6-4, 6-2. The resurgent Frenchman, who has risen to No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after falling as low as No. 108 in January, will face Emil Ruusuvuori or Brandon Nakashima in the second round.
Huesler marked his ‘s-Hertogenbosch debut by upsetting eight seed Maxime Cressy 6-2, 7-6(2). It was a first tour-level win on grass at the third attempt for the 26-year-old Swiss, who will take on home wild card Gijs Brouwer or Rinky Hijikata next.
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