2016 Brisbane International: Raonic beats Federer in straight sets to claim 8th ATP World Tour title

Milos Raonic has exacted revenge on World No. 2 Roger Federer after beating the Swiss in straight sets 6-4 6-4 in the finals of the 2016 Brisbane International. It marked the second time that Raonic had won against Federer, who still owns a 9-2 advantage in their head-to-head record.

The Canadian defeated Federer to win his maiden Brisbane International in a brilliant lead-up event to the upcoming Australian Open title on Sunday’s championship match, his eighth ATP World Tour title.

“It feels great,” Raonic said following the match as reported by ATPWorldTour.com. “It feels great considering the past nine months have been, it adds a sort of cherry on top to all that.”

Raonic, ranked 14^th, won title one at St. Petersburg in 2015, a season disrupted by a string of injuries. He was sidelined with a foot injury in May. He pulled out of the French Open. Raonic also pulled out of the BNP Paris Masters with a back injury. Then his lingering back injury also made him withdraw from the second season of the International Premier Tennis League.

Raonic also opened up about the struggles he suffered in 2015 in a report by Tennis Magazine. He said it was “frustrating” to have experienced months of setbacks because of the injuries.

“To see myself slip a little bit, even though I knew it was not necessarily strictly to my tennis level, but outside things,” Raonic lamented. “In some ways, it was also depressing to deal with.”

Raonic enjoyed every run in his return to the Australian city. He beat qualifier Ivan Dodig 6-7(7) 6-1 6-4 in his opening second-round match. He defeated Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4 in the quarterfinals and local boy Bernard Tomic 7-6(5) 7-6(5) in the semifinals.

Raonic will next compete in the first grand slam tournament of the 2016 tennis season, the Australian Open. He lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals 7-6(7) 6-4 6-2 in Melbourne Park last year.