Milos Raonic was at his peak when he reached the Wimbledon final in 2016 before injuries decimated his promising career.
On Monday, the 33-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., served notice that he is still a force to be reckoned with on grass.
Raonic fired 47 aces, an ATP record for a three-set match, and came back for a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (9) win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the first round of the Queen’s Club Championships.
Fifty-six per cent of Raonic’s service points came from aces.
“With the scoreline and having to save match points, I probably needed every single one of those,” Raonic said, who faced match point twice in the third-set tiebreaker. “But my serve has always been the most important shot to me.
WATCH: Raonic sets ace record in London:
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., set an ATP record for aces in a three-set match in his 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(9) victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie at the Queen’s Club Championships.
Raonic hit five of his aces in the tiebreaker, including one clocking in at 232 kilometres per hour to set up match point.
The hard-serving Canadian topped the previous record of 45 set by Ivo Karlovic in 2015.
“This small record, it’s something special, something meaningful,” Raonic said. “I’m glad that behind that also stands a win because maybe I’d feel differently or maybe a bit more sour if I was to get that many free points and lose the match.
“So overall, a very positive thing and a fun stat to be proud of.”
The men’s record for aces in any singles match is 113 by John Isner in his marathon 11-hour Wimbledon win in 2010 over Nicolas Mahut, who hit 103.
The former world No. 3 who came into the match ranked 186th will next face the winner of a match between Japan’s Taro Daniel and fourth seed Taylor Fritz of the United States in the second round.
WATCH: Auger-Aliassime withdraws from Terra Wortmann Open:
Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime retired from his match against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer while down 6-4, 4-3, in the first round of the Halle Open in Germany.
In other results Monday, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, England, and Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew from his first-round match against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany.
Sabalenka, Jabeur to skip Olympics
World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus said she is skipping the Paris Olympics to “take care of my health.”
Sabalenka, 26, lost to Russian teen Mirra Andreeva in the French Open quarterfinals earlier this month.
The Summer Games take place on the same clay courts at Roland Garros from July 27 to Aug. 4.
Sabalenka said she wants to be healthy for the hard-court season, with the U.S. Open starting on Aug. 26.
The two-time Australian Open champion (2023, 2024) lost to Coco Gauff in the U.S. Open final last year.
“I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I’m ready for the hard courts,” Sabalenka said, per the BBC.
“Especially with all the struggles I’ve been struggling with the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health. It’s too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health.”
Sabalenka lost to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the second round at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Athletes from Belarus and Russia who qualify for the Olympics can only compete as neutrals in Paris due to the ongoing invasion and war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Tunisia’s world No. 10 Ons Jabeur also said she will not compete at the Paris Olympics, citing concerns over how her body would adapt to the clay surface being used for the tournament.
Jabeur wrapped up her clay court season earlier this month with a run to the quarter-finals at the French Open, where the Olympic tournament will take place starting next month.
The 29-year-old is currently playing in the grass court season and will then compete on hard courts at the U.S. Open some two weeks after the Games finish.
Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, previously competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and COVID-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.