Milos Raonic has said that the Australian Open semi-final defeat to Andy Murray has left him feeling more "heartbroken" than ever before in his career.
Raonic, the 13th seed in Melbourne, led 1-0 and 2-1 in sets before world number two Murray mounted a fightback and won in five sets to reach the final for a fifth time.
Raonic was hampered by an injury to his right adductor muscle from the end of the third set and struggled to compete in the decider as Murray eased to a 6-2 success.
Anger got the better of Raonic early on in the fifth when he smashed his racket against the court, and he admitted after the match that he was devastated to lose and miss out on a first Grand Slam final.
"It is probably the most heartbroken I've felt on court but that's what it is," the 25-year-old told reporters.
"Maybe that's why I lashed out as I did at the start of the fifth set. I guess that was just the whole frustration of everything getting out."
On Instagram, the Canadian added: "It hurts like hell now at this moment. The heartbreak and the disappoint. Regardless, I will not let this keep me down. That is not how I was raised and that is not the kind of person that I am."
Raonic also lost at the semi-final stage when he last reached the final four of a Slam at Wimbledon in 2014.
Pascal Lemesre
