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Q. How do you feel about your game and what have you been working on in the past month or so that would pay off at this US Open?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, well, it's been a tough, let's say, summer. It's been more about managing injuries and getting healthy. I'm as close to that right now as I can be. That was really the main focus. Unfortunately I wasn't able to spend a lot of time on court or in the gym as I would normally like. It is what it is, and I'm just trying to make the most out of it. Trying to play better and better every match.

Q. Given your lack of match fitness, how difficult was today?

MILOS RAONIC: It was okay. The body held up pretty good. I think it's more just lack of matches and sort of that first round, let's say, jitters at a slam. A combination of those things. Other than that, everything was okay.

Q. We have an interesting split in terms of ages in the draw. Players over 30 and teenagers. You're on the younger end of the scale. During your formative years, did you have to look at the game you were playing and change things wholesale or...

MILOS RAONIC: I think my game plan has always been pretty clear. It's about trying to manage the center of the court. I think the ways I've gone about preparing, the ways I've gone about training, I think those have changed as I learned more about myself, what I need to do, what kind of level I need to provide if I want to achieve specific goals. But have I changed completely my game? I don't think so. I think it's more been just adapting and trying to find a way to improve and progress.

Q. How about your success second serving and volleying?

MILOS RAONIC: I don't know what the numbers were, but I think it was pretty good. He was standing pretty far back, so it gave me quite a bit of time to get close to the net.

Q. Do you almost feel better serve and volleying with the kicker sort of?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it gives me time to get closer. Especially when the guy stands far back.

Q. What was some of the frustration about? 4- Love in the third set there was frustration. Was it a combination of the things you mentioned earlier on, first-round jitters, et cetera?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I think sometimes I wasn't stepping up and being aggressive enough. Sometimes I was making mental lapses. I think it was that kind of stuff, those situations. I was sort of letting that stuff creep in; I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. It was more about knowing and being aware and not rushing. Sometimes I felt like I would just sort of go through things too quick throughout many parts of the match. I wasn't always as disciplined with myself as I should have been.

Q. Between you and Eugenie last year, when you came into last year's US Open, it was the high point of Canadian tennis. It's been a down year for you because of injuries; she's had problems. Can you contrast last year to this year?

MILOS RAONIC: I think last year it's sort of like, to put it to words, a pleasant surprise. I think this year it's been maybe people expecting things to go up, up, up as quick as it was last year. It never is that way. There's many road bumps, and it's about the way you deal with things. Obviously I've had my own. Trying to figure out a way to stay healthy as much as I can. It sort of gives me specific goals for specific parts of your year. Maybe your objectives change a little bit and you see it a different way, what you need to work on.

Q. Has it felt like more or less pressure arriving at this US Open?

MILOS RAONIC: Probably more for myself. Probably less from outside. I guess it's just 'cause I've missed the feeling of just being able to play tennis without thinking twice. You know, just go out there, spend as much time as you want on court, and be as productive as you can. Focus on this is my objective, this is what I want to improve today. It hasn't always been that way for the last few months. It's been more, Can I do this? Can I do that? It's sort of that second-guessing, which can be a bit tiring but also frustrating when things aren't going as smooth as you hope.

Q. How do you feel about playing Verdasco?

MILOS RAONIC: It will be a tough match. Every single time we've played it's been that way. I'm going to need to play better. But I have it within myself to find those answers and hopefully make the most of the opportunity.

Q. In any way are you surprised to have pulled that one out?

MILOS RAONIC: When I saw that I was able to hold serve, I guess I was always going to give myself some kind of a chance.

Q. How bad did you feel at some times?

MILOS RAONIC: There were sometimes doubts, should I keep going or not. The worst part was it was sort of getting worse and worse.

It is what it is. Deal with it and move on.

Q. (No microphone.)

MILOS RAONIC: They helped in that moment, but then it would go back and get back into sort of being blocked and hard to move. Then it would help, relax again, then go back again.

Q. It's been going on a few days or weeks already?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it's been something just since Montréal that I've been dealing with, before Montréal.

Been trying to sort of deal with it. It sort of flared up in matches. The weeks in between have been okay. Trying to get it under control as much as I can.

Q. So is it related to the foot injury?

MILOS RAONIC: From what I've spoken with people about, from physios to doctors, it's something completely different. It has no connection to the foot. That's a positive sign.

It's just really about trying to make the most of it.

Q. Do you like Grandstand? Anything about the atmosphere of that court that makes it unique?

MILOS RAONIC: I think it's great just because of the way the sound stays in, because the roof that comes over from Armstrong, you feel like people might sort of pack in on that side.

But when the court fills up, that noise sort of stays in and it feels a little bit more intimate.

Q. Are you surprised how many big shots you were able to hit?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I was going for it. I knew what I was playing with. I just tried to make the most of what I could do during the match.

It allowed me to play a little bit more freely, but at the same time it's sort of the way I want to play. It's not always possible. I haven't played many matches.

Things are coming together.

Q. Able to pull it off against an opponent like Verdasco not being 100%, can you derive some positives out of that fact?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it's a great thing regardless of who's on the other side of the court. That's the most important thing for me, considering I haven't played many matches, getting as many as I can.

That mental fortitude today is what has gotten me through, and it's what's going to give me a chance in my next match as well. I just have to keep plugging away and trying to be better and better each match. Those are the goals.

Hopefully I can give myself a lot of matches to play here.

Q. Long and hard battle for Mardy out here. He had a tough second round as well. Talk about a matchup with him.

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, every time I've played him it's always been a difficult matchup. Not many rallies, but one guy always trying to dictate more than the other.

I'm going to have to play well. I'm going to have to be feeling better. But it is what it is. I've got, whatever it is, 48 hours or a little bit less. I can manage with that time.

Q. Do you remember the last time you played pain-free?

MILOS RAONIC: It's been a while. I'd say probably Australia time. But it's just a tennis player's life. We don't have substitutes or anything. I think there's always something nagging at you.

It's tiring. Sort of when you wake up every morning you're sort of asking yourself, Am I going to be better today? Sometimes you get positive signs from your body and sometimes you get disappointing signs.

I think that's the most tiring part, that sort of first moment when you turn out of bed and you have to ask yourself, Okay, am I in good shape today?

Q. Pretty pleased with the backhand today?

MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. It's sort of when I give myself that time, swing through it a little bit more, that's normally the ingredients that work for me.

I think it's something that I incorporate a lot more. Obviously I'd like to run around more backhands when I can because my forehand will always be my better shot, but it's making progress there.

Q. What did you do yesterday? What enabled you to play today?

MILOS RAONIC: A lot of treatment. A lot of treatment pretty much. A lot of sort of resting and icing. Just the basic things, I guess, to a little bit of a stronger degree.

Q. What will you do to prepare for Friday?

MILOS RAONIC: I believe I'll practice tomorrow.

Q. On the frustration meter from zero to a hundred, how frustrated are you?
MILOS RAONIC: 85.

Q. That's all?
MILOS RAONIC: I'm sure there's a lot of worse things that could be going on.

Q. How tough was it to be under-manned or whatever?
MILOS RAONIC: It's not enjoyable. It's not fun. Just try to make the most of some situations and deal with it as much as you can.

Obviously what I had in my capacity wasn't enough today.

Q. Was it risky to play with this kind of injury?
MILOS RAONIC: No. It's the exact same risk of, I'd say, getting in a car. Everything can happen. I wasn't too nervous about that.

I'm sure many would have told me when they saw how I was moving that there's no point in doing it, but it's just not the way I work or I process things.

Q. How was it in comparison to other days, and how much worse did it get as you played today?
MILOS RAONIC: I guess it started 20% worse, and probably ended up around 60% worse than other days.

Q. Until the second set tiebreak, did you think you had a decent shot to maybe pulling it out?
MILOS RAONIC: A lot of things had to go my way. I don't know if I had a decent shot. I was going to stay there and see what I can make of it.

Q. Do you know already that you're going to stop playing for a while, do an exam, or...
MILOS RAONIC: Until I'm told otherwise, my plan is to be competing in St. Petersburg in whatever it is, two and a half weeks, and go from there.

Hopefully I can play a lot more tennis this fall. Indoors has always been good for me. Asia's always been good for me. I'd like to make something out of that.

Q. Looking back from the time you had the surgery till now, I guess it's easy to say, but some choices would have been different when you played?
MILOS RAONIC: I guess the only thing I would have done is the first moment, if I knew that my foot wasn't going to make the progress or I had been waiting around all that time before I decided to have the surgery, I would have had it probably first day. Maybe buy myself some time throughout the summer and so forth.

Other than that, I did everything to the best that I could with as much information as I had.

Q. When is the earliest you could have had the surgery?
MILOS RAONIC: It would have been the extreme, but the first day I had pain.

Q. Was that two or three years ago?
MILOS RAONIC: Seven.

Q. Seven years ago?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. You know, I don't think I even considered that. But when I said that, I more so meant the first time I felt pain this time around in, whenever it was, April.

Q. Now that you're getting used to life on the tour, are you surprised at the toll it takes on the body?
MILOS RAONIC: No, because I think sort of the work you put in is the work you get out. I've definitely been putting in the work. It hasn't turned out for me as far as a health standpoint the last few months.

My tennis is in okay shape as long as I can get my body behind it. I was able to win two pretty good matches, considering some sort of setback. But I got to just try to get to 100%, and hopefully I can play a lot more matches where it's just my tennis is the only thing I'm worrying about.

Q. You win two matches at Wimbledon not in very good shape. Same thing here. Does that kind of show you that you're there, and if you were healthy you would be doing much, much better?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I guess there's that sort of silver lining in the whole thing. Even when I'm not playing well, at least I have enough, at least at this point, understanding and experience of how to deal with situations so that I can sort of scrap my way through and always give myself some kind of chance to win, which is definitely different from where I was a year ago, and definitely when I started out consistently on tour in 2011.

A lot of things have changed. I'm not too worried about my tennis at this moment. I'm worried more so about the other things.

Q. Sometimes it's tough to stop when you want to train. Do you think maybe sometimes you have overworked your body?
MILOS RAONIC: I guess I'll always have more peace in overworking than not doing enough. So I guess that's my way of keeping a calm mind.

Q. Are you going to keep an eye on the rest of the tournament?
MILOS RAONIC: If it's convenient, yeah. I'm not going to put in my calendar that I have to watch between 11:00 and 11:00 at night.

Q. Eugenie might take that personally.
MILOS RAONIC: (Smiling.)

It has been a turbulent season for Milos Raonic, but with a cry of triumph, the Canadian ended a 14-month title drought on Sunday in St. Petersburg as he defeated Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture his seventh ATP World Tour title.

“It’s such a great feeling to come to St. Petersburg and to be able to win this event," said Raonic. "It was a great experience overall with the event, the city and the people. This tournament is only going to get better. Word is going to spread about how much the players enjoyed it."

Raonic still has an outside chance of clinching one of the four remaining berths at the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Winning the St. Petersburg Open title brings the Canadian an additional 250 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London, which will see him pass Marin Cilic into 12th position.

"It would be special [to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals again], especially with the health issues I’ve had," said Raonic. "It is something that will require a lot of winning the rest of this year, but I believe I can do it."

The 24-year-old Raonic made his debut at the Final Showdown in London last year, but has a lot of ground to make up if he is to return to The O2 from 15-22 November. The Toronto native’s season was derailed in May when he was forced to miss Roland Garros to undergo surgery on his right foot. It was a slow return to form and fitness for the right-hander, who would lose in the third round at both Wimbledon (l. to Kyrgios) and the US Open (l. to Lopez).

Victory over Sousa brings Raonic his first ATP World Tour title since he defeated countryman Vasek Pospisil in the Citi Open final in Washington in early August 2014. The right-hander finished runner-up to Roger Federer in the Brisbane final at the start of the 2015 season.

Raonic’s resolve was tested against the in-form Sousa, who became the only man this week to break the Canadian’s famed serve to clinch the second set. Having lost the first set to a service break in the fourth game, Sousa fended off four break points in the early stages of the second set before immediately breaking Raonic for a 3-1 lead and holding on to level the match.

The second-seeded Raonic benefitted from a Sousa double fault to grab a break in the second game of the deciding set before saving four break points in a crucial third game. Raonic would go on to clinch victory in two hours and seven minutes, having struck 22 aces and saved nine of 10 break points.

"I think I played my best," said Sousa. "Of course I feel sad that I couldn't have the title here. I was really confident that I could beat him today, but he played and served very well in the important moments. I just have to congratulate him for the match."

Seventh seed Sousa lost in an ATP World Tour final for the third time this season, having finished runner-up to Thomaz Bellucci in Geneva and Dominic Thiem in Umag. The 26 year old from Portugal dropped to a 1-18 record against Top 10 players. His lone win was over No. 4 David Ferrer in the 2013 Kuala Lumpur quarter-finals en route to his maiden ATP World Tour title (d. Benneteau).

"This year has been a tough one," said Sousa. "It has been my best year, but a tough one as I lost three finals. It's really, really tough to accept it. But I think I can improve. I'm going to work for it and hopefully I can win the next one."

Milos Raonic announced on Thursday that he and Ivan Ljubicic will no longer be working together. The Canadian, No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, has been working with the former No. 3 for over two years.

Raonic shared the news on his personal Instagram account:

“I wanted to take a moment to reflect. On a year full of many tough challenges, the biggest being myself. In 2015 I faced my biggest challenges yet, in regards to my health. My team, family, loved ones, supporters and fans have stood by me strong through the toughest of these moments and for that I am grateful. Thank you!

I have learned many important lessons throughout this year. Many of which I am sure will assist me in achieving my goals. I have plenty of challenges ahead of and hard work that I look forward to thriving in.

Looking forward to 2016, a year that I believe I can make big strides towards my goals and to the ambitions that I would like to fulfill.

I’d like to thank Ivan Ljubicic for the tremendous amount of support, knowledge and understanding he has given me. The decision has been made that we will not continue our professional relationship in the upcoming year, we will remain close friends and I would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

As for the rest of my team, we will continue charging toward our goals. Training hard, training smart.

I can’t wait to be back competing.

Much gratitude,

Milos”

Raonic will kick off his 2016 season at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Brisbane.

Revenge for Raonic in Brisbane
It was sweet revenge for Milos Raonic on Sunday in the final of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp as he defeated Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 to capture his eighth ATP World Tour title.
Twelve months ago it was Federer who prevailed when the pair met in the Brisbane final, earning his 1000th match win. But Raonic made a strong statement at the start of the new season with just his second win in 11 meetings with Federer.
"It feels great," said Raonic. "It feels great considering how the past nine months have been. It adds a sort of cherry on top to all that. [The win] does great things. For myself it signifies within the team how concrete and good the work we're doing is.

"At the same time, with the difficulties I've had last year, it's maybe a good way for me to show the other guys I will face going in Melbourne that I've got my stuff back together and I can play some good tennis again."
While neither man enjoyed his greatest serving day, it was Raonic who was able to capitalise on Federer’s games. Federer fended off two break points in the fifth game and saved a third in the ninth game, but Raonic converted his fourth opportunity to take a decisive 5-4 lead in the opening set as Federer paid the price for a forehand unforced error.
Raonic left the court for a medical timeout after the third game of the second set. With his rhythm briefly disrupted on return, Federer almost took advantage of three double faults to engineer his first break. But Raonic held for 2-2 and went on to break Federer for a second time in the seventh game, closing out victory in 87 minutes.
Explaining the medical timeout, Raonic said, "Just a little bit the adductor. So just after the timeout it was a little bit hard to push off just until I got my legs going, and I think that's why [the serves] were sort of floating long on me and the last one came short on me.
"Against him it's always about who can dictate," Raonic continued. "I felt that other than maybe one service game where I double faulted three times, I was staying quite a bit ahead on my serve and always close on his, except for one that I lost at love. I felt like most of the other ones I was getting to 30. I was giving myself opportunities and then was able to capitalise twice."
The 25-year-old Raonic is looking to put behind him a frustrating 2015 season, which saw him hampered by foot and back injuries after a strong start to the campaign, which had propelled him to a career-high No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.
The Canadian parted ways with coach Ivan Ljubicic in the off-season and has since appointed former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, who will join with Raonic and his team, which still includes Riccardo Piatti, in Melbourne.
Ljubicic was in Federer’s box this week as the Basel native fought through a bout of flu at the start of the tournament to reach his 136th tour-level final (88-48 record). The Swiss beat Dominic Thiem in Saturday’s semi-finals to advance to his third successive Brisbane final. It is the second time he has finished runner-up, also missing out against Lleyton Hewitt in 2014.

Milos Raonic def Lucas Pouille 6-1 6-4 6-4

Q. Was that a step up from Brisbane?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I thought so. In Brisbane I also had quite a few opportunities. Maybe today, just having a bit more comfort and understanding of where I was playing, maybe I let down on a few games when it came to returning.

But I did a good job taking care of my serve and I was proficient on the return games when I needed to be.

Q. What happens in a match when you break a guy the first time he serves in every set?
MILOS RAONIC: Just try to take care of your serve.

Q. Must feel pretty good, though.
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it does. Playing ahead is always a little bit easier. The main thing you have to be on top of yourself for at that point is not have any letups. I think I stayed ahead pretty much on my service games. Other than maybe a Love-15 once, I think I was ahead the whole time. I don't think it got to deuce ever. I was putting myself in good spots.

Q. You had good start this year, especially beating Roger Federer in Brisbane. That means a lot, I think. So what do you think about that?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I think I'm playing well. I think I'm finally healthy, finally allowing my tennis that I have been able to put some time into to sort of speak for itself.

I'm adding a few things. You know, I'm more efficient at the net. I find my way forward and I cover the net better. I'm able to make my opponents think a bit more and be a little bit more calm in situations of pressure, believing that I can take and I can use different things to get ahead.

Q. I wasn't there, but did you play all the matches in Brisbane under a roof?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. It's under a plastic roof, yes.

Q. I'm wondering, what were the conditions like today? Didn't seem quite as hot as yesterday.
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it's not too different than last week. I think last week was probably more humid and slow. It's a little bit quicker here.

Just being in the sun I don't think was really an issue today, especially at 11:00. I think I played efficiently the whole time. I got the job done pretty quickly.

Q. What's the story behind the mouth guard?
MILOS RAONIC: Just to not grind my teeth while I play. It just causes stress and headaches sometimes.

Q. Did you have to adjust to it in terms of breathing and all that kind of stuff?
MILOS RAONIC: No, I wear it all the time other than when I'm eating, so I got used to it pretty quickly. Maybe I fiddle it with it too much while I play, but other than that it's pretty much there all the time.

Q. Usually after an unforced error. A window to your soul.
MILOS RAONIC: I guess it's maybe it's a way to calm myself down.

Q. Match fixing: what's your take on this and whether the problem is as widespread as the article made it sound and if the integrity unit is doing everything it can be doing to tackle the problem?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, as far as we are as players, we are told anything comes up of this sort, you bring it up to the right authorities.

I believe there is a hotline that we have as an option really to confront if this does come up. I think that there is enough -- at least from what I understand and from my personal experiences, there is enough being done regarding it.

I don't think anybody in tennis believes and stands for it. If the story has any validity to it, I hope the people that may be -- who weren't named, from what I understand -- may be weeded out.

Tennis is a beautiful. There are many great things about it. It's a little bit, sorry for the language, shitty to read that and sort of see that the attention of the first Grand Slam of the year is more on that than I think the Australian Open, which is one of the four biggest events we play.

Q. This morning Thanasi Kokkinakis said early on in his career he was offered to throw games via social media. I mean, not just by social media, but have you been offered to throw games before?
MILOS RAONIC: No. The closest I have ever come to is people sort of cussing off at me for losing matches when they lose money. (Smiling.)

No kind of upbringing of anything before a match.

Q. Was it a dentist who suggested you...
MILOS RAONIC: No, a chiropractor. Maybe it's helping my back and so forth. (Smiling.)

Q. How about the next round?
MILOS RAONIC: I believe they are playing. Tommy I have played many times. Difficult match, as always. But I feel like I'm playing well. However that challenge presents itself, I think I can find some solutions.

Jaziri I don't know really that much. I believe the coaches are out there watching. I guess it's going to be like always: take care of what I need to take care of within myself, and then make the adjustments need be and try to be in control of myself as much as I can throughout the match.

Q. Why did you choose Carlos Moya as a coach? What do you want to learn from him?
MILOS RAONIC: I think he can help me in being more efficient with my game, using my game better, especially throughout certain situations. I think he can also give me a lot of insight, on and off the court, especially around two-week tournaments, how I can be more efficient sometimes.

I have an inability to sort of after matches are over to sort of switch off and relax completely. I think he can bring that calm to me. With the vast knowledge that he has, and he has great sort of sense of how to approach, how to talk to people, I think he can help me in those kind of different situations.

Q. When you decide to hire Moya, suddenly it comes?
MILOS RAONIC: No. Well, the discussion was there for sort of most of December. What was I going to do? What's next?

When the split happened with Ivan, the whole approach was there is no rush. Ricardo told me he was ready to take on more weeks if he needs to, and until the right choice and the choice that felt the most right was made.

So there was no rush. I got to know Carlos a little bit through IPTL. We spent some time there discussing what he sees in my tennis and how he sees it should be applied and make the steps forward that I want to make.

And then it was decided and sort of put together just before the new year. I think I announced it maybe a day after the new year or two days after. That's sort of when we came to the understanding for the number of weeks and which role for him to play.

Q. Obviously you don't beat Roger Federer every day, but having beaten him and won the tournament in Brisbane, have you ever entered a slam on such a good run and with that much confidence?
MILOS RAONIC: I think, no, definitely not in that aspect, but I think it did a lot more for me just considering the nine months before that.

It was a good way to sort of solidify to myself and the people around me we're on the right track and doing the right work. And bar keeping everything healthy, I can put some good tennis forward and sort of put those priorities in line.

Milos Raonic def Tommy Robredo 7-6(6) 7-6(5) 7-5

Q. Every day different opponent. You didn't seem quite as sharp. Was that because of Robredo maybe playing differently?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, to some extent definitely I felt maybe I let down a little bit after I missed all those breakpoints in the first set. If I maybe connected a little bit better with the forehand, especially that first return game, it can be quite demoting to him, help loosen me up.

I felt I was playing a little bit sort of forcing it a bit too much. I was trying to sort of lug the ball around more than playing a little bit more smoothly like I had in my previous matches.

Q. Was a little bit of that the fact that you had beaten him so easily the last two times?
MILOS RAONIC: No, I don't think it has anything to do with it. I think that's why I wanted too start better because it can sort of enforce that. But I think it's more so just it was a different day, different kind of match.

I don't think I played as clean as I would have liked or continued. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is I got the win.

Q. Could you explain a little bit the work with Carlos.
MILOS RAONIC: It's been quite brief. We spent a few days together at the IPTL. We're starting to get to know each other, sort of discuss what he thought and believed I could do better to sort of reach my goals.

Over the past week since it's been close to a Grand Slam, we haven't been able to necessarily add too many things other than really just the enforcement of when to make which kind of decisions. Maybe a little bit better shot selection and a little bit more from a psychologically side than from a physical side on how to deal with things a little bit better in certain situations.

He was obviously very involved with the whole thing throughout Brisbane. A lot of contact. So he was learning at that point how we went about the process. And then I was also able, through over messages, to get an understanding of how he thought maybe to react differently to a few different situations.

But I think there's a lot we can add to my game. I think you just have to give it time.

Q. Many people see you here as a dark horse. Do you think this could be your first slam final? You're playing with so much confidence.
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's too far to say. I feel like I'm playing well. I feel like I can put forth that tennis. But Saturday I have a big challenge ahead of me. I hope I can get through that one and just go one by one.

The first week the most important thing always is to sort of find a way to win. Hopefully if I'm alive and around, I can play better and better each match. Hopefully that can take me far.

Q. Injury-wise have you solved every pain you had in 2015 and you are completely pain-free?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah. The body's in very good shape.

Q. You had some points you won on your second serve. He had a lot of trouble getting it back. What's going through your mind when you're hitting a second serve to a guy like him on an important point?
MILOS RAONIC: He's a rhythm player at the end of the day. The longer you play, the longer the point, these kind of things, he sort of gets in a groove. It's about moving the second serve around the box a little bit more.

He's always struggled with my serve. I don't know how many times we've played now, but I don't believe he's broken me maybe more than twice in six matches or something like that.

I felt like I know how I need to go about things in my service games against him.

Q. Were you impressed by how hard he battled today?
MILOS RAONIC: I'm impressed by how hard he does it every time. He didn't surprise me by any means. It's what you expect. I think he's probably one of the guys that has probably the most saved match points in matches and that kind of stuff.

He saved one in the last match. I think he had that quarterfinal appearance in Roland Garros three times in a row coming back from two sets to love down.

He's always been and had that repertoire.

Q. Can you talk about your next opponent, Viktor Troicki?
MILOS RAONIC: It's going to be difficult. He won last week. I watched a bit of that. So he's feeling well. He battled through also a difficult match on the first day, saving match points, I believe.

Then he had a good win today. Pretty clean from what I saw or what I could watch while I was doing my own thing. I know how he plays. I played him in Beijing not so long ago. I think if I can put my game together a little bit cleaner and more efficient than I did today, be a little bit more proficient at the net, sort of dictate a bit better, I'll be able to give myself some opportunities.

Q. Brought up the mouthguard at the last press conference. Is there any difficulty using it?
MILOS RAONIC: Other than I play with it too much. I fiddle around with it too much.

Q. Very profound question: who is your favorite athlete who uses a mouthpiece? I've got an answer for you. Basketball player.
MILOS RAONIC: No, I'd probably say I like Mike Tyson. I'm guessing boxers have mouthpieces, no?

Q. How about a non-boxer?
MILOS RAONIC: Do you want me to answer what you want to hear or what the actual answer is?

Q. Active player.
MILOS RAONIC: Active player? George St. Pierre. I don't know if you consider him active.

Q. No.
MILOS RAONIC: It's a new year. I'm not ready for 52 more weeks of this.

Q. Can I give you my answer?
MILOS RAONIC: Yes.

Q. Steph Curry.
MILOS RAONIC: But every basketball player plays with a mouthpiece. It's a contact sport.

Q. Point taken.
MILOS RAONIC: Hockey players, too? Football players?

Milos Raonic def Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-3 6-4

Q. You had quite a run of not missing serve. How shaken up were you by losing your serve today?
MILOS RAONIC: Obviously not too bad. It was a great game played by him. I think I put on all my first serves and maybe just the first point I would have dealt with differently.

But other than that, it's a great game by him.

Q. How did you find out about the shooting, because I think you probably would have been asleep when it actually happened? How did you...
MILOS RAONIC: I can't remember. It was after I warmed up this morning. I was sitting at the restaurant just having a little bit of a snack before I go out on court to refuel. I can't remember who it was, either my parents or Carlos might have brought it up that something had happened.

I sort of just Googled it quickly to understand, to know. There wasn't much information available at the time other than the casualties and that somebody was apprehended.



Q. It seemed like such a heartfelt gesture afterwards, what you said on the court. Were you thinking, like, you know, I need to let people know back home that they're in my thoughts, or was that spontaneous?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, I don't want to really -- even though I heard about it before my match, I was very much into the match. I felt that after the match would be a little bit more appropriate for my thought, focus, and everything. It was something that I thought about and that I was glad that I had the opportunity to mention something.

I know there is a lot of Canadians that stay up. Stuff like this doesn't happen much back home. I'm sure not just in that small community but throughout Canada it was a lot of people that were sort of heartbroken over it.

Q. When is the last time you felt this healthy?
MILOS RAONIC: Probably Indian Wells last year. Maybe a little bit before that. Or maybe even probably here last year. I would say it was more of a correct comparison.

Q. How do you see the next match going against Wawrinka?
MILOS RAONIC: Difficult. You know, he's playing well. He's played solid through what I have seen of his first three matches. I watched a little bit of him now. I have it within myself to be able to find the solution. The question is will I step up and do it? Hopefully I'm able to put the pieces together.

Q. You've both got a big serve. Is that a key to beating him?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, I think, you know, I like to work with my serve and my forehand. He likes to work with his serve and maybe find a way around -- sort of make you play off chipping returns and obviously likes to go for his backhand.

So I think we both have the very clear goal of wanting to dictate and control the pace of the match and the rhythm. I think it's who can do that better.

Q. Just how important is this match towards your progress, I guess, cracking the top 10?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, I don't think this match really makes a difference from, I think, regarding my ranking.

I don't think I move if I win the match. So it's not any more or any more relevant than it would be other than the fact it's a fourth round of a Grand Slam, and a Grand Slam that I would like to do much better at. That's pretty much where it ends.

Q. What have you learned from your other matches?
MILOS RAONIC: I think just the way to go about things, and the ways to play. I think the first time we played we had a good opportunity. I was up a mini break in the second-set tiebreak. Maybe it wasn't the first time we played, but in Cincinnati one of the first few times.

Then he got the better of me a few times consecutively. I felt like I played pretty good last time we played a match that counted in Rotterdam, and he's playing well and I think I have improved quite a bit since Rotterdam. Hopefully I can put that to use.

Q. You said the other day that you're hoping Carlos can help you switch off and relax between matches. How has he tried to do that for you?
MILOS RAONIC: No, he's just quick -- sort of like yesterday he sort of stays on top and says, Okay, what else do you need to do here? Then make sure you get out of here as soon as possible. Those kind of things. Even today following this, just to go through the steps that I need to take for myself and then move on and not necessarily spend too much time on things that aren't productive for my recovery process.

Q. So sometimes less is more?
MILOS RAONIC: Well, I don't think it's less is more. I think it's just not getting caught up in things. Maybe spending too much time here chitchatting in the locker room and this kind of stuff when you can watch the exact same matches in the comfort of a couch or bed in front of the TV, quiet and this kind of thing.

Q. You won Brisbane and played really well the last three games. Do you feel a lot more confident overall?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I believe so. I feel like I'm finding answers. I'm taking care of my serve. I'm creating opportunities on the return. I'm able to -- you know, I'm reacting much better, getting a lot more returns back in, putting more pressure on my opponents, so eventually the opportunities are coming to me.

Today and my first round was a lot more efficient in that sense. Against Tommy maybe not as much as I would like to be. The opportunities were still there.

So I think it's just really about keeping that cycle going forward. I know I'm going to -- it's not a question of will I create opportunities. I feel like I'm playing good enough tennis. I feel like I can. The question is will I make use of them?

Q. The match today generally obviously you got off to a good start. How would you sum it up? How would you say you played today? How happy are you with the way you played?
MILOS RAONIC: I thought I played well. I think it's definitely the best match I have played here in Melbourne so far this year. I thought I played smart. I thought I changed up things really well. Took care of my serve really well, mixed up my serve, was efficient at the net.

I think I would give myself an A grading on the way I was able to play. The only thing I thought maybe I got sucked into slicing too much beginning of the second set and letting him find the rhythm too much.

Q. You and your parents have had an incredible life experience coming from Montenegro to a new homeland. When something happens today like what happened in Saskatchewan, does that somehow put things in perspective and good fortune of being a worldwide athlete playing in the world and in good lifestyle?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, it does for sure. Maybe to me today's match really sort of mattered heavily, and I would do everything I can to find a way to win.

But at the end of the day, to be in that situation -- there is five people that will never go back to school again. I'm not sure what happened with the other two that were in critical state. That's just far bigger than whatever thing I could have done on court today.

It's especially difficult, you know, when it's such a small community and it's a tragedy that's from within a certain group of people, most likely.

Canada has been phenomenal to myself, my brother, my sister, their kids, my parents. They came there. They worked very hard. They came with great education, very good heads on their shoulders with the simple thought of going there with almost nothing and just saying, We're doing this to give our kids the best opportunity possible.

I'm here because I moved to Canada and because my parents took me there in '94.

Q. Are you familiar with what happened to Andy Murray when he was a fifth grader and his experience then back in his life when there was a mass shooting in his hometown?
MILOS RAONIC: No, I am not. I didn't know about that.

Q. Would you prefer day or night? Any preference in the match against him?
MILOS RAONIC: I like playing at night. I have been good at day, so either is good with me.

Q. When you fell behind 4-1 in the third, what are you thinking? You looked very calm, composed. Is that how you're feeling inside, too?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I felt like I was there in all the return games.

So if it didn't happen to me or for me in that third set, I felt my opportunity would come. I think I had a few break chances maybe that I missed after I got broken, you know, so I didn't feel just because I got broken that I was out of control.

I felt like I was still on the right path and doing the right things and that time was going to give me an opportunity.

Q. Are you surprised by this decision from Ljubicic to work with Federer?
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's a great opportunity for him, and I think even before and outside of a professional relationship, there were very few players that were as friendly as they are.