Vasek Pospisil reflects on shock Milos Raonic win

World No. 94 Vasek Pospisil said he felt more comfortable as the match progressed against 18th-ranked Milos Raonic and he eventually pulled off a shock US Open second round win. 

Pospisil, a former world No. 25, recovered from a set down to stun last week's Cincinnati Masters runner-up Raonic 6-7 (1) 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3. 

"Yeah, I think especially the first set it probably had a bit of an effect on both of us. We both started a little bit, maybe a little bit slower, maybe -- you know, I could feel there was a little bit of nerves on the court from both sides," Pospisil said post-match.

"And then I just felt as the match went on, I mean, I felt a lot more comfortable, and I found a really good groove and I was moving really well.

"I mean, he's serving incredibly well, but I felt like I got a relatively good read on his serve. Then the key for the match today on my end was that I was serving extremely well and able to hold my service games with, you know, relative comfort, which made it a little bit easier, you know, for the rest of the match.

"But, yeah, to answer your question -- to play a Canadian obviously is always tricky, right? I mean, especially someone like Milos who I've known for basically my whole tennis career. We grew up together, we were the top two in Canada for our same age group. We're the same age, so obviously we have a bit of a history, for sure."

Pospisil knew it would be extremely hard 

Pospisil insists former world No. 3 Raonic is never an easy opponent to play against and he was happy that he managed to successfully pull off his game plan.

"Yeah, well, playing Milos is never easy, because, you know, he's the kind of player that has so many weapons. When he has time on the ball he's -- you know, he puts you in defensive, and that's not where you want to be when you're playing him," Pospisil added.

"I guess my game plan going in was, you know, what it was the last time I played him when I was able to win, as well. I just wanted to take time away. Obviously serving well is really important.

"I felt like in the first set I wasn't quite dialed in, and I wasn't really hitting through the court as much as I would have liked to and felt like he had a little bit too much time. Then I tried to make that adjustment early on in the second set.

"He's just one of those guys that you can't, you know, you can't give him time. He has a very heavy ball, he's a really big guy, and he's got big strokes. If you can play quick, then that's better.

"That's easier said than done, because he obviously has a huge serve, and a lot of power. So it's not always easy to accomplish that game plan, but I was able to do that again today."

Pospisil plays next against world No. 11 Roberto Bautista Agut.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Gwkz6e