Milos Raonic was hunkering down for surgery and a stint on the sidelines on Monday only to see his career reach a new apex. The Thornhill-raised tennis star is now ranked No. 4 in the world, jumping two spots on the newly released ATP list.

It’s the highest ranking ever for a Canadian singles player, besting Quebec’s Eugenie Bouchard, who reached fifth on the women’s list last October.

Montreal-born Greg Rusedski rose to fourth in 1997 but was representing Britain instead of his native country; his high-water mark playing under the Maple Leaf was 41st in the world in June 1994 — the highest for a Canadian male before Raonic came along.

As such, the 24-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., remains the only Canadian men’s singles player ever to break into the ATP’s top 10.

“This is a milestone that is a great stepping stone for me for what I want to achieve,” said Raonic in a recorded statement his spokesperson passed along to the Star.

“It’s nice to have it also represent some significant meaning to the history of Canadian tennis and shine a light on where I believe Canadian tennis can be going in the future.”

Raonic’s spokesperson, Austin Nunn, told the Star the Canadian athlete was prepping for surgery to repair a nerve in his right foot, and that the surgery would take place either Monday or Tuesday. Raonic injured his foot shortly before he played in the Monte Carlo Masters in France last month. He withdrew from the quarter-finals against Czech player Tomas Berdych and subsequently pulled out of the upcoming Internazionali BNL d’Italia tournament in Rome.

He is expected to take up to two weeks to recover, aiming to be ready to go in time for the French Open.

“I am proud and happy with the progress Milos has made,” said Raonic’s coach, Ivan Ljubicic, in a separate statement.

“Unfortunately we have (been forced) to take a little break now because of the injury, but knowing Milos this will only motivate him even more to make further progress and go for those few spots left in the rankings he has never reached.”

Raonic’s rise in the ATP World Tour rankings comes as Rafael Nadal, an imposing figure in the vanguard of players who have dominated men’s tennis in the 21st century, dropped three spots to No. 7. It’s the first time in 10 years the Spaniard hasn’t been in the top five.

Nadal’s slump follows his loss to Britain’s Andy Murray in the Madrid Masters final on Sunday, marking his fourth defeat on his preferred clay surface this year. That hasn’t happened since 2003.

Alongside Raonic, there is a slew of up-and-coming players making a charge in the standings in the hopes of challenging Nadal and the rest of the current crop of top players, which includes first-ranked Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who holds the ATP’s second spot.

At 25, Japan’s Kei Nishikori has already cracked the top four though has since trickled down to sixth while 23-year-old Grigor Dmitrov has climbed to eighth position — and is currently 11th — since turning pro at the ripe age of 16.

There’s also Australian Nick Krygios, who continued rocketing up the standings with his career-best 30th spot in Monday’s list, and, at 20, has already proven himself able to take down Nadal, whom he beat last summer at Wimbledon when the Spaniard was ranked No. 1. He also defeated Federer in Madrid on May 6.

The next tournament on the ATP circuit, following this week’s match in Rome, is the French Open, which kicks off May 19 in Paris.

Today’s Top 10

No. 1 — Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Career high ranking: 1 (52 titles)

Career earnings: $77,693,686

No. 2 — Roger Federer (Switzerland)

Career high ranking: 1 (85 titles)

Career earnings: $89,886,245

No. 3 — Andy Murray (Great Britain)

Career high ranking: 2 (33 titles)

Career earnings: $37,211,836

No. 4 — Milos Raonic (Canada)

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Career high ranking: 4 (6 titles)

Career earnings: $8,214,239

No. 5 — Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)

Career high ranking: 5 (10 titles)

Career earnings: $21,856,379

No. 6 — Kei Nishikori (Japan)

Career high ranking: 4 (9 titles)

Career earnings: $9,479,646

No. 7 — Rafael Nadal (Spain)

Career high ranking: 1 (65 titles)

Career earnings: $72,657,015

No. 8 — David Ferrer (Spain)

Career high ranking: 3 (24 titles)

Career earnings: $26,220,923

No. 9 — Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)

Career high ranking: 3 (9 titles)

Career earnings: $15,602,114

No. 10 — Marin Cilic (Croatia)

Career high ranking: 8 (13 titles)

Career earnings: $11,482,109

Source: ATP World Tour

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