Rejuvenated former world No.3 Milos Raonic is banking on an extended preparation in Melbourne to help him go deep into the 2018 Australian Open.
The big-serving Canadian spoke to reporters in Melbourne on Thursday and confirmed he would skip an Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament to stay in Australia to focus on his preparation for the season-opening grand slam.
The 26-year-old endured a wretched run with injuries in 2017, missing the US Open after undergoing wrist surgery.
He then retired in the second match of his comeback tournament in Tokyo in October with a calf complaint.
Raonic, a Wimbledon finalist and Australian Open semi-finalist, saw his ranking tumble to No.24 at the end of last season.
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"It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to be competing and playing, so I decided to come here early, use the facilities, and get ready to the best of my ability for the Australian Open," Raonic said.
"I've always played well down here in Australia, so it's great to be back.
"I ended the year not in the best shape or the way I would have liked so it's nice to be here early and have the chance to turn around my fortunes, hopefully."
Raonic will train at Melbourne Park until he travels to Queensland for his favoured warm-up tournament, the Brisbane International, where he was the champion in 2016.
"I'm getting close to (100 per cent fit)," he said.
"Obviously I struggled a lot at the end of the season, but now I've had the time to clear that up and really focus on my tennis.
"The season finished late for me last year, so time was limited and everything ended up being in a rush, but now I've had time to recover and get ready."
