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ROGERS CUP

August 9, 2009

Milos Raonic

MONTREAL, QUEBEC

M. RAONIC/M. Llodra
6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel?
MILOS RAONIC: Overwhelmed a little. Um, it has been a couple of rough months these last two, three months, so this was a big way to prove to myself, to everybody, just to turn it around and get something else going, a fresh start and hopefully continue this throughout the week, the year, and throughout the career.

Q. Have you ever signed so many autographs?
MILOS RAONIC: Um, no. I don't think I've done a tenth. Within 30 minutes or something? I think I was out there for 30, 40 minutes. I think that tired me out quite a bit. More than the match.

Q. Would you say it's your biggest win of your career?
MILOS RAONIC: The last two days, yes, for sure. Being able to put -- yesterday especially was tough, and then being able to not be overwhelmed with what happened yesterday, how I played yesterday, and being able to use it today just meant a lot.
It showed me that I can do this on a constant basis, so this is what I expect for myself now on a more-and-more basis and more of my matches to be at this level and not let myself drop, just because I play lower tournaments, to not play according to my opponents, to play for myself and play at my own level and how I can play.

Q. How was the crowd?
MILOS RAONIC: Oh, amazing. I think every point, every single time I got down 15-30, just one point down or even Love-15 on my serve, they were unbelievably loud and very supportive.
I heard some fans cheering him on, but as soon as they were heard, they stepped in and they helped me out and they cheered even louder.
It was unbelievable.

Q. What happened to you in the last couple of months? You were planning on playing a hundred matches this year, and everything going pretty well. Was it the fact you were hitting every small Futures town in the planet that got you or just too much tennis?
MILOS RAONIC: No, I was playing well. I broke my left hand, so I was out a few weeks. I had a fracture in the scaphoid right after -- two weeks after I won the Futures here. I played through it, and then later on I realized it was a fracture.
I had stopped nine weeks. It took me about 10, 11 weeks. After 11 weeks I played my first tournament. I went straight to clay, which obviously isn't my best surface.
So to make that transition, coming back from not playing and to clay took me a little bit of time and I think it just wore down on me mentally. I didn't feel I was back physically where I was when I was playing well at the beginning of the year.
So it took me a little bit of time to get back. This being my second hardcourt tournament back means a lot that it's this good, and everything is paying off that I've been doing.

Q. We had a camera problem. I'm sorry. Can you just repeat how you felt after this victory?
MILOS RAONIC: Like overwhelmed and -- but it was just the feeling -- you stop for a second, and you almost pinch yourself to see if it's actually true, and I felt amazing at that point.
I don't know. I guess throwing the racquet after winning matches, I don't know if that's going to become my signature thing or what. Hopefully Wilson won't get mad.

Q. Was it the first time you...
MILOS RAONIC: No, yesterday same thing. We'll see.
THE MODERATOR: Can you talk about playing GonzÃ¡les?
MILOS RAONIC: I look up to him. Hopefully I can make him look up to me by playing well and putting out a good match, playing well against him. Focus more on my game what I can do rather than focusing on him, because obviously he's a great player, spent many years in the top 10.
I don't know if he's right now in the top 10 but he's been playing well, made semis of the French. It's going to be about me imposing my game, proving myself, proving I deserve a spot on the court and the spot in the main draw.

Q. Were you nervous starting out? The first few serves you hit were probably maybe some of the biggest serves that you hit all day.
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. Well, when I get nervous, I crack down on my serve quite a bit, so it's -- it can help me or break me in a way if I'm not putting them in, but today it came out big and helped me a lot.
I focused on my legs mostly because normally when I get nervous that's why I stopped moving. It's not normally my arms. I don't know normally slow down. It's just my legs. So I made a big point to myself about using my legs, and I guess that generated the bigger serves.

Q. I think you started hitting all the slow stuff, especially the short stuff. What change did you make that you were able to catch up and run it down where you weren't maybe a little bit earlier than that? Were you starting to pick when he was going to do it?
MILOS RAONIC: Just -- just wanting it so bad. That's -- at that point that's what kicks in so much, just wanting it so bad, getting so close, knowing what it can do for you. Nothing will stop you from running around. I don't care if I get it after seven bounces, I'll still go for it.

End of FastScripts

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