‘Suck It Up’- 32-Year-Old ATP Star Reveals How Family ‘Lit a Fire’ in Him to Give Tennis One Last Run as He Finds His Luck at Canadian Open

The world is busy focusing on the comebacks of tennis moms as the former ATP No. 3 took a backseat. This year marked the incredible comebacks of the champions that once reigned on the court. Milos Raonic, who spent 2 years away from tennis due to injuries, is now trying to capture the court again. His recent match with Frances Tiafoe at the Canadian Open caught the attention of the world as a bizarre tennis rule surfaced that deprived Raonic of a point.

The Canadian, however, won the match against America’s rising star and ATP top 10 seed. This victory on his home turf after ages lifted his spirits. Raonic revealed the motivation behind his comeback as recalled what led him to play tennis in the first place.

Milos Raonic takes a trip down memory lane as he shares precious moments

The Canadian started playing tennis when he was 9 years old. His parents were the reason he turned into a professional, as they were the ones who accompanied him to the practice sessions and even witnessed his rise to the top. They were there to cheer for the 32-year-old in many matches, which Raonic considered an irreplaceable feeling.

Recalling the support of his family in the ‘ÁTP Tennis Radio Podcast, Raonic said, “And to be honest with you, another big thing is 2020 tennis, 2021 tennis that I got to play. My family wasn’t able to be there. My family has always been incredibly important to me, they were also the ones that pulled me into tennis when I was nine years old, the ones that were there for driving me around for every practice to every match.” 

Elaborating on the encouragement he received from his parents, the ATP champion added, “To me, having a chance to play in front of them one more time that that to me was kind of irreplaceable. And especially in front of my mom and dad.” The 8 singles titles winner was driven by his parents and decided to make a comeback after serious injuries.

READ MORE: 41YO Former Spanish Tennis Ace Dishes Out Fandom for Gael Monfils as the Frenchman’s Age Defying Feats Continue to Stun One and All

The Canadian champion braces himself for the tough road ahead

The ATP star finally decided to make a comeback and relive the journey. He said, “That kind of thing lit a fire in me like, okay, ‘let’s put in that time, let’s suck it up, you know, some days are gonna hurt, it won’t always be linear and go in a positive way. There’s gonna be a lot of bouncing back and forth.’ But those kinds of things really gave me a lot of motivation.”

Raonic’s parents were there for him even after all these years of his career when he won against Tiafoe, which made them emotional at the home tournament.

Raonic played his last match at the Atlanta Open in 2021, in which he exited in the first round. He took a break as a 22nd seed and returned to the game in June and played his first comeback match at the Libema Open with 840th rank. With the 3 wins he bagged this year, his ranking went up, and he currently ranks 545th.

Raonic became the first highest-ranked Canadian player in history when he achieved 3rd position in 2016. The former 3rd seed is now playing Taro Daniel, whom he encountered twice and registered a 100% winning stat against him.

WATCH THIS STORY: Missing From Oscars Guest List, 41-year-old Serena Williams’ Royally Snubbed Despite Cameo In Star-studded Netflix Movie