TORONTO — Losing in the second round at Wimbledon to Igor Sijsling could have represented a new low in the career of Milos Raonic.
Instead, Canada’s top player has had a few weeks to compose himself and is now trying to focus on the positives.
"I’m right now at my career-high ranking, not playing well the first six months of the year," Raonic said Friday during a charity event at a children’s hospital. "That’s definitely a positive note, and I think I can turn that around pretty quickly. I believe in myself and the team I’m with, and we’re just putting in the hours to do so."
Raonic is ranked No. 13 in the world. He won the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif., in February but hasn’t won more than two matches in any of his past six tournaments.
"I think this is the first time I’ve been a little bit disappointed with myself outside of an injury, so I think there is some just learning how to deal with that," he said. "It’s just a process that has to take place. Nothing’s just going to be smooth-sailing. It’s too competitive out there for that."
The 22-year-old hired former player Ivan Ljubicic as his coach in June, but that move has yet to show evidence of progress. Ljubicic was once ranked as high as third in the world, and his teaching is contributing to Raonic’s confidence.
"I like the way we’re working, I like the type of work we’re putting in," he said. "I have a lot of belief in the kind of work we’re doing. I think it’s all just adding up together and it’s (going in) the right direction."
Raonic took a morning off from training Friday to visit Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, which he began working with when recovering from hip surgery two years ago. The Milos Raonic Foundation gave the hospital a grant of $30,000 several months ago, and other donors matched to the tune of $44,765.
Speaking with children and parents wasn’t a welcome distraction for Raonic. Instead, he considers it something independent of his game.
"I’m aware that right now the main thing is my tennis and I’m really trying to grow this alongside my tennis career, so after my tennis career I have something very established there that I can spend more time and work with closely," Raonic said. "It doesn’t really take away from any training; I’ll be back on the court this afternoon out in that heat, putting in hours."
Putting in hours is the only way Raonic knows how to improve his performance with hard-court tournaments coming up. That’s where he’s most comfortable, something that can’t hurt his psyche.
"I think really it’s just about getting confidence," Raonic said. "I think the best way to do that is through work: Get the confidence back up and then the pieces will fall into place."