Raonic forced to skip French Open

Canadian not fully recovered from foot surgery

In the end, the recovery timeline after his foot surgery was too tight and Canada’s Milos Raonic was forced to withdraw from next week’s French Open, he announced on Thursday.

“I am sad to have to unfortunately announce my withdrawal from 2015’s Roland Garros,” Raonic said in a statement. “I tried my best to be back on court and healthy in time after surgery but after consulting with my team and doctors, I made a decision to withdraw from this year’s tournament and make sure I am able to return to the court at 100 per cent.”

Raonic, ranked No. 6 in the world, also shared the news through his Twitter account.

Last week, Raonic underwent surgery to repair Morton’s Neuroma — a painful condition involving the thickening of tissue around one of the nerves leading to the toe — in his right foot. The condition, which can feel like you’re constantly stepping on a tack, as his manager Austin Nunn previously said, had been bothering Raonic since the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

Raonic’s surgery was performed in France eight days ago and was considered a success, however, with less than two weeks between surgery and the start of the French Open, time to fully recover simply ran out.

“My rehab will continue this week and I will shortly begin preparations for a strong Queen’s Club and Wimbledon,” Raonic said.

The typical recuperation period for the procedure Raonic had is 10-14 days, his manager said in a previous interview. Raonic is expected to be on the court at 100 per cent within the next week, his team said on Thursday following his withdrawal.

The last Grand Slam event Raonic did not play in was the U.S. Open in 2011, when he was recovering from hip surgery.