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Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, 22, called Milos Raonic "an inspiration" and admitted he has always had a great level of respect and admiration for the 2016 Wimbledon finalist. For many years, former world No 3 Raonic was the top-ranked Canadian male tennis player and he was making the best results in Canadian men's tennis.
Now, 12th-ranked Auger-Aliassime is the Canadian No 1. "I remember being so impressed. He was huge. Huge legs. I was like, 'This guy's from another planet' (smile) He was a big inspiration for myself & many others & it’s good to see him back," Auger-Aliassime told Mark Masters of TSN.
🇨🇦 @felixtennis on first memory of 🇨🇦 @milosraonic
"I remember being so impressed. He was huge. Huge legs. I was like, 'This guy's from another planet' (smile) ... He was a big inspiration for myself & many others & it’s good to see him back"https://t.co/Yb1GpkMPDO — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) August 6, 2023
Auger-Aliassime: Unfortunate that Raonic wasn't with us in 2022
In 2022, Auger-Aliassime led Canada to its first Davis Cup title.
Reflecting on their win, Auger-Aliassime admits it was "unfortunate" that Raonic wasn't a part of their team in 2022. In the summer of 2021, Raonic took a break from tennis to address injuries he was dealing with at the time.
Raonic was initially hoping to return in 2022 but he ended up missing the entire 2022 season. "It’s almost kind of unfortunate that he couldn’t be with us when we won the @DavisCup. I feel like he would deserve to also hold that trophy.
He’s done so much for Canadian tennis," Auger-Aliassime said.
Raonic, who is now 32-years-old, was out for nearly two full years before returning to action in early June in 's-Hertogenbosch.🇨🇦Auger-Aliassime on 🇨🇦Raonic: "It’s almost kind of unfortunate that he couldn’t be with us when we won the @DavisCup.
I feel like he would deserve to also hold that trophy. He’s done so much for Canadian tennis."
Davis Cup team will be honoured on Monday night in Toronto 🏆 — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) August 6, 2023
After losing in the 's-Hertogenbosch round-of-16, Raonic missed Queen's due to a shoulder issue. At Wimbledon, Raonic competed but struggled with a shoulder issue during a second-round loss to Tommy Paul. After exiting Wimbledon, Raonic hinted he may have played his final Wimbledon.
"Good chance that it’s probably my last time coming out here," Raonic told Masters after exiting Wimbledon. This week, Auger-Aliassime and Raonic are both competing in front of their home fans at the Toronto Masters.