“I think I can break through and hopefully make a big result, much bigger than I have in the past,” Milos Raonic had predicted boldly here in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship before the start of the season.
If his performance at the Queen's Club Championships last week is any indication, the Canadian seems capable of delivering on that promise. Yes, he lost to Andy Murray in the final, from a set and 3-0 up, but the tennis he played for that set and a half, especially in the first set tie-break, had the mark of authority.
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And not just the final. He started the tournament with a win over Nick Kyrgios in three sets, then edged Jiri Vesely in two. Roberto Bautista Agut and Bernard Tomic were also dismissed in two sets apiece, and Murray seemed headed the same path until the Scot, with a boisterous home crowd roaring him on, turned it around.
Now Raonic is itching for a rematch, preferably in three weeks’ time on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. He said it on court after losing the final and said it again later at the press conference. “I wasn’t joking,” he insisted. “I would like to be there on a Sunday at Wimbledon” in the final. “That would mean something significant, if it is against Andy, I think it would be a great thing.”
Murra believes it is possible. Raonic has reached the semi-finals of a grand slam twice – at Wimbledon 2014 and at the Australian Open this year – and was ranked as high as No 4 in the world last year.
So no one will really be surprised if the Canadian improves on his best grand slam result at Wimbledon this summer. Certainly not given the status of the man who has been advising him this grass-court season.
Raonic’s decision to appoint John McEnroe to his coaching team has been a masterstroke, given his achievements in the game, and the benefits of this partnership are obvious in there short time together. Raonic, in his own words, is attacking a lot more and his positioning on volleys has improved as well during their three-week-long relationship.
There is of course another sphere where McEnroe could help: the emotional side. Raonic, harsh on himself off the courts, barely shows any emotions on it, rarely venting. Sometimes, venting works and McEnroe could certainly help on that front. But that is a longer process and will McEnroe, winner of seven grand slam singles titles, commit himself to a long-term partnership?
As Raonic pointed out, McEnroe has “got a pretty full plate”, but who knows? We have seen stranger things happening. Like Ivan Lendl’s return to Murray’s corner.
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