Milos Raonic devastated after Open defeat

A disconsolate Milos Raonic has laid bare his Australian Open semi-final devastation.

Raonic suffered a five-set loss to Andy Murray in Friday night’s semi-final, succumbing to an adductor injury after leading two sets to one.

“It’s unfortunate. Probably the most heartbroken I’ve felt on court,” the world No.14 said, speaking with a broken voice.

“You can’t take away that sort of hurt from the way the story played out today.”

Raonic said from half-way through the third set, he wasn’t able to push off his leg as he’d like.

The Canadian battled on in an effort to grind out an unlikely route into his first grand slam final.

It didn’t happen, and the normally mild-mannered giant lashed out, smashing his racquet onto the court when he was broken early in the fifth set.

A fighting spirit had given way to rage.

By the time he’d made it off court, rage had given way to disbelief.

Raonic brushed aside his team and a doctor on the way to the press room, eager to fulfil his media duties.

“Probably they would have liked to speak, but I’m just not in a state where I can probably have a conversation,” he said.

“I’m not in the mental state where I would be seeing a doctor to get a recommendation today.

“Maybe that happens tomorrow or whenever I feel like I’m ready to face that situation.”

Excepting the last hour, there was a lot to like in Raonic’s season-starting Australian swing.

A win in Brisbane was crowned with a straight-sets defeat of Roger Federer.

The big-serving Canadian will become the world No.11 in the next round of ATP rankings and can look back on a fine run to the last four at Melbourne Park which included victories over world No.4 Stan Wawrinka and top-30 players Viktor Troicki and Gael Monfils.

“There’s a lot more positive to take from the situation than there is negative by magnitudes,” he eventually conceded.

“I’m happy with where my tennis is at, I just wish I could play tennis.”