Milos Raonic has been a tremendous performer in Indian Wells over the years, but he withdrew this year after winning his first-round matchup.
It's been a very odd season for the Canadian, who is still playing very well, but at the same time, he struggles with injuries. He's obviously not officially retired, but it's very unclear whether he can actually play tennis regularly because any time he attempts to do it, something happens.
Raonic started well at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, winning his first match in Indian Wells against Sumit Nagal. It was a very sturdy performance, 6-3, 6-3, so fans were excited to see whether he could keep it up.
The draw wasn't kind, as he had to face Holger Rune. Unfortunately, that match won't be going ahead as he withdrew 30 minutes before they were supposed to take the courts.
We don't really know the exact reason for the withdrawal, even though the BNP Paribas Open's official social media page named the reason as an injury. If true, that's very unfortunate for Raonic because the last thing he needs is an injury, but that's just what reality looks like for him.
"Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the tournament due to injury. Holger Rune moves into the third round via walkover."
He's managed six matches so far, which is fair, but he's never quite strung together a couple of more, and there is always a chance for him to get injured as he did in California.
The withdrawal sends Rune into the third round without having to exert any kind of energy. It's probably not how he wanted to find himself in the third round, but he won't hate it.
Rune needs a good run, and this basically gets him halfway there. We'll see if a longer break between matches impacts him in any way in his next match.
He'll face either Lorenzo Musetti or Denis Shapovalov in the next round. He should be favored against either.
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