Milos Raonic withdraws from 2022 Australian Open with heel injury
Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic has withdrawn from next year's Australian Open. Raonic pulled out his name as he is recovering from his heel injury. Official organizers informed about the development on Saturday via Twitter. This is the first time Raonic will miss the first Grand Slam of the year since making his debut at Melbourne Park in 2011. Here are further details.
Why does it matter?
Raonic suffered from injuries throughout the 2021 season. He sustained a thigh injury in March, which forced him to take a three-month break. He returned to the court in July 2021 at Atlanta Open, where he lost to American youngster Brandon Nakashima (first round). To make matters worse, he picked a heel injury during the match.
Australian Open on Raonic's withdrawal
Raonic has not returned to the court since his loss to Nakashima. He was supposed to return in Melbourne. However, it seems Raonic's fans would have to wait further. "Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the #AusOpen as he continues his recovery from an Achilles injury," Australian Open tweeted. "Hope to see you back on the court soon Milos Raonic," it added.
List of high-profile absentees from AO 2022
Raonic is the latest to join the list of high-profile absentees from the Australian Open. Marquee players Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka had earlier pulled out of the tournament. The list is even longer as far as women stars are concerned. The likes of Jennifer Brady, Karolina Pliskova, Karolina Muchova, Serena Williams, and Bianca Andreescu are set to miss Australian Open with injuries.
Raonic reached the Australian Open semis in 2016
Raonic's best result in Melbourne came in 2016 when he reached the semi-final before going down to Andy Murray in a five-set thriller. He attained his career-best ATP ranking (third) in the same year after reaching the Wimbledon final, where he Murray beat him. Raonic crashed out of the 2021 Australian Open after losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
