Milos Raonic's comeback derailed by reported shoulder injury, withdraws from Queen's Club Championships

Milos Raonic, in the middle of his comeback on the ATP Tour, has pulled out of the 2023 Queen's Club Championships.

The Canadian was set to face Jordan Thompson of Australia in the first round in Queen's, where he entered the main draw via protected ranking. However, he withdrew at the last moment due to a suspected shoulder injury and has now been replaced by lucky loser Alexei Popyrin.

Milos Raonic's decision is a setback considering he was just starting to make a successful return to action. The 32-year-old had been on the sidelines for 23 months due to a raft of injury issues, ranging from a thigh niggle and an Achilles issue to a broken toe. Raonic officially returned to the tour at the Libema Open last week.

He stunned World No. 40 Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round in the Netherlands, beating him in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in a swift one hour and 25 minutes. However, the former World No. 3's campaign in 's-Hertogenbosch was cut short as Jordan Thompson got the better of him in the second round, 7-6 (4), 6-1.

“It was very stressful at times” - Milos Raonic after his first-round win at Libema Open

Milos Raonic

Victory over a top 50 player at the Libema Open was a very good sign for Milos Raonic, who hadn't played a professional match since the 2021 Atlanta Open.

After his win, Raonic looked back at his performance in a post-match interview. The 2016 Wimbledon finalist said that he was stressed at times during his match and concerned as he was coming to professional tennis after such a long time.

“It was very stressful at times. I’ve played after injuries many times, when I‘ve missed three or four months, even I think after six months when I had my hip surgery when I was much younger, but two years is a whole different thing," Raonic said.

The Canadian explained that he did not want to be just another player on the tour when he returned, so he put in the hard work to get back to his best level. Raonic was happy with his form against Kecmanovic, which was his 50th tour-level win on grass.

“I didn’t just want to come back and to be a player that I wouldn’t be proud of, so it took a lot of energy for me to put in. I’m happy I got to here and am very grateful that I can play,” he added.