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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2018

Milos Raonic

Wimbledon, London, England

M. RAONIC/D. Novak

7-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Would you say a good night's sleep paid off and you were playing better today than yesterday?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, just came out with a very different mindset. I was extremely negative yesterday and just needed to come out with a very different state of mind and different approach today to have a better chance than I had yesterday.

Q. It looked like in the very first game you were just going to go for it, like, boom. Is that your attitude?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, because I was extremely passive yesterday. I needed to sort of, you know, exaggerated a little bit. It's the way I need to play, but obviously it's hard, you know, once you get too passive to sort of get into that. That was definitely the objective today.

Q. What was your opinion on the whole situation at the end of the match yesterday?
MILOS RAONIC: What situation?

Q. The decision to continue, not continue and everything.
MILOS RAONIC: It was okay. I understand what their whole thing was. I remember before it always used to be played until 9:00, 9:15. I was surprised it was called 8:50, 8:52. That was the only thing.

But it's the supervisor's call to make. He came out. He was pretty firm with his stance. Gave Dennis an opportunity to decide if he wanted to play his service game or not, and, you know, we just took it off for today.

Q. You're thriving on grass these days. What was the toughest thing when you first started playing on it, what was the hardest thing for your game?
MILOS RAONIC: I think sometimes for me it was just because grass helps you a lot, helps sort of, you know, when you serve wide, it goes a little bit further wide. It takes slice.

You can sometimes get a little bit slow and passive because you're expecting the court to do too much for you. And I think that's why that took me a little bit of time to learn, to have to sort of play with just as much or even more aggression on it.

Q. What was the process of taking so long to relocate you yesterday and how did you feel from going from 1 to 12?
MILOS RAONIC: They came to us I think it was 5-All in the match and they said if the ladies' match goes three sets we'll put you on 12. It was pretty clear, you know. It wasn't really any discussion back and forth.

It was okay. I didn't mind it at all. I wanted to get on court. I don't know what time they ended up finishing but it gave us a chance to play more yesterday, and I think that was the right choice.

Q. What were you the most pleased about your game today?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, just the fact that I came out -- I put that behind me, the negativity from yesterday, and I came out with a very different objective and the way I should play.

It's important to -- you know, I got a little bit fortunate that I worked right away from the beginning. I didn't expect that.

You know, I got aggressive and I stayed aggressive and even volleyed a little bit more efficiently, and just did things generally better, which I've got to be happy with.

Q. Is there anybody, when you came in, said, I'm scared of this person? I'm worried about this player?
MILOS RAONIC: No. I have always just tried to focus on myself what I need to do. If I can do my things well I will give myself an opportunity.

Q. You don't sound as plugged up as you did the other day. Is it improving?
MILOS RAONIC: It's improving.

Q. What are you doing for it?
MILOS RAONIC: Antibiotics.

Q. I know it's pretty far away still, but Holland is coming to Canada for Davis Cup in September. I was just wondering what your thoughts on that tie are and what it means that it's in Toronto.
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's exciting. I think there is sort of a chance for us to stay in the World Group, which is important. It's an important match for that sense.

It's also what I believe, I'm not sure if it's necessarily going to be Daniel's last match, it's the first time we played, that I have ever played Davis Cup in Toronto, and that we will have played I think since Ecuador in a small arena.

So to bring tennis to downtown Toronto I think is a great opportunity and something exciting and good to look forward to.

Q. I'm working on a piece in the off-season, wondering how long you can stay away from your racquets and what do you like to do at that time? Do you like a holiday, stay at home?
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's been different every single time. It all depends how long you can stay away. Depends if you make the World Tour Finals or not. Obviously that's a big dictator in how you're going to go about the time off and how many matches you've played. There is a lot of factors.

But I have done the vacation on the beach. I have done staying in a city. I have done sort of everything every year. I sort of have a different kind of itch and need depending where I am. If I want seclusion or if I want to be around friends and family. I sort of make the decision on the fly.

Q. So what do you do to relax, then?
MILOS RAONIC: I see the people I don't get to see mostly throughout the year or I see nobody and I just sit on a beach.

Q. You see nobody?
MILOS RAONIC: Yes. I like to be alone.

Q. How does that work out, you see nobody?
MILOS RAONIC: I like time by myself. I need time away from tennis just to think.

Q. Mackenzie McDonald?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I know him a little bit, practiced with him a bunch. He's played well this year. He's obviously had good wins through these last three matches here. It's going to be tough. You know, I'm going to have my chances. He likes to play more solid tennis, likes to take the ball early. I will have my chances, have to stay aggressive and try to dictate more to the rhythm of today rather than yesterday, that's for sure.

Q. Are you a betting man? Who do you think will win Wimbledon this year?
MILOS RAONIC: Am I a betting man? I don't bet (smiling).

Q. I don't know if you have been asked before, but what do you think about the new competition, the World Team Cup?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I think it's gonna have its opportunity. Obviously calendar is favorable to it. Everybody wants to play during that period of time.

It's gonna have a real opportunity to become something very positive and sort of a staple in the schedule. It has to be obviously -- it has to create a storyline. You have the history behind Davis Cup and so forth. I think it's going to have to create its own storyline in that sense. I think if the players show up I think that helps it significantly and I think it could be a very positive thing.

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