BY ARASH MADANI
sportsnet.ca
MONTREAL -- Milos Raonic will fly to Colorado on Aug. 17 to meet Dr. Marc Philippon, who performed the hip surgery on the Canadian tennis star on July 5.
After that consultation, the No. 26 ranked player on the ATP tour will have an idea on his progress and possibly a timeline for a return to competitive tennis.
"I'm doing good. I have no pain and I can pretty much can do whatever I want, but I have to be cautious," Raonic told sportsnet.ca Wednesday, in an exclusive interview in Montreal.
"I'm a little tired, the muscles get tired during the day, but that's about it."
Raonic was on a tear in 2011, before slipping, and falling, in a second-round match at Wimbledon and aggravating his hip, which had previously been suffering from labrum issues. He was sidelined from all physical activity after the surgery, but has since returned to light work on the court.
"I've been hitting for about two weeks now, maybe eight or 10 practices, but it has been basic, stationary hitting," Raonic said. "I'm feeling closer to the game, now, though. I feel like I'm doing something closely related to the game, rather than just working out."
The consultation with Dr. Philippon -- a renowned orthopedic hip surgeon that has performed procedures on many professional athletes, including Alex Rodriguez in 2009 - should give Raonic an indication of whether or not he would be available to compete for Canada in September's Davis Cup World Group playoff.
While his full-time training grounds are in Barcelona, Spain, Raonic has moved back into his family home in Thornhill, Ont. since the surgery in Colorado. His modified practice sessions have been held at public courts in the area, the Mayfair Racquet and Fitness Club and also at the Richmond Hill Lawn and Tennis Club, where he reunited with his first coach, Casey Curtis.
But most of his work has been away from the tennis courts.
"I've spent a lot of time on the massage table, and then in the gym for probably four or five hours a day," he said.
Raonic's rehabilitation work is a six-day-a-week process, for about nine hours a day. He's actually relocated his physical therapist from Barcelona, and has set up a table in a familiar place. Treatment sessions are held in the basement of his parents' house.
"I ran today for the first time, for about 10 minutes, so the progress is there, it's positive," he said. "It makes it that much more exciting I'm doing well. And I'm happy being at home with my father and mother and the whole family. It's nice to be in my own bed and get a home cooked meal each night. It's familiar territory."
Raonic's coach, Spaniard Galo Blanco, will arrive in Toronto on Friday and plans to intensify his practice sessions. They have tentatively planned, as of Saturday, to have two, one-hour, on-court hitting sessions daily.
"Progressively we'll get through everything and know more after that," Raonic said. "But the main date is seeing Dr. (Philippon) on Aug. 17 and we'll go from there."
Raonic spent part of Wednesday walking the grounds at Uniprix Stadium and Montreal's Tennis Canada facility, which was his training headquarters for three years before moving to Barcelona.
He said many tour players stopped to check in and wish him well in his recovery, including Roger Federer and members of Novak Djokovic's team.
"On tour, we're very competitive with one another but they're checking in and they care," said Raonic. "It's a good feeling."
