Raonic Forced To Retire Due To Back Issues

Written by: Staff on 30th April 2011

Raonic Forced To Retire Due To Back Issues

Canada's tennis player, Milos Raonic, jubilating after wiining the match, while french oponent, Gilles Simon, walks away, today's 30th April 2011 at the Tennis Estoril Open, in Oeiras, Portugal. EPA/TIAGO PETINGA |

Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) started his quarter-final match on Friday at the Estoril Open in Portugal, an ATP World Tour 250 event. After a long day of rain delays, the match was postponed because of darkness.

This morning, the Canadian and France’s Gilles Simon returned to the court with Simon leading 6-5 in the opening set. Raonic may have had the mental edge going in having already erased a 0-3 deficit in the first set which he ended up winning in a tiebreak. Simon didn’t go away quietly as he came back to force a decisive third set after some inspired play in the second frame. In the third set, Raonic raised his game for the important points to score a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 victory over the world no. 22 reach his third semifinal of the season.

The win was Raonic’s ninth over a Top 30 player in 2011 and set up an encounter with Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in what would the third meeting between the two players this year and the first on clay. Raonic came out serving well in his second match of the day, but Verdasco broke in the ninth game to secure the opening set 6-4. Unfortunately, after a long day on the court, Raonic was forced to retire with back problems before the start of the second set. Despite the loss, his run to the semifinals will allow Raonic to crack the Top 25 on the ATP World Tour rankings for the first time on Monday.

If recovered in time, Raonic will compete in the Mutua Madrid Open, a Masters 1000 event in Spain beginning Monday. He will face Feliciano Lopez of Spain in the first round and the winner will meet Roger Federer in round two.

Listen to Raonic discuss his retirement from the match:

[wpaudio url=”http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7007191/Milos%20Raonic%204.30.11.mp3″ text=”Click To Play” dl=”0″]