Filed under: Sports Talk by Michael Emmett
A year ago Canadians from coast to coast were celebrating 14 Gold Medals from their Canadian heroes, the greatest achievement in Winter Olympic history. Today, Canadians are celebrating a future Canadian tennis superstar who shocked the tennis world with an improbable victory in San Jose on Valentine’s eve.
Milos Raonic has emphatically made a statement to the members of the ATP World Tour with a straight sets win (7-6, 7-6) over Spanish lefty and world #9 Fernando Verdasco in the final at the SAP Open in Northern California.
In the post match trophy presentation Verdasco was asked what the difference in the match was and he said only one word – “SERVE”!!! Such a quick answer but he couldn’t have been more to the point.
Without question, Raonic has the best serve in the game – yes, even better than American John Isner – this serve is such a major weapon that a top 20 ranking seems not only possible but probable.
Consider his serving stats from Sunday’s final against Verdasco. And remember one thing – this is a 20 year kid who has never been on such a big stage. Nerves weren’t a factor at all – in fact, the exposure from the centre court spectators and the National TV audience across North America was a blessing for this mature athlete from Thornhill, Ontario. He thrived under pressure and came up with his best stuff when he needed it the most. It’s almost unbelievable that Raonic could remain so calm and deliver in every big moment like he’s been a tour veteran for years and years.
Against Verdasco, Raonic’s average first serve speed was 141 MPH per hour topping out at 147 MPH with a first set ace that almost put a hole in the back wall in the arena where the San Jose Sharks play hockey. Some of these serves were harder than any slap shot ever registered in rinks across the world. Perhaps even more impressive, is the fact that Raonic was able to put 69 percent of his first serves in the court – an unfathomable number considering the speed that the ball is travelling as it crosses the net. And then to top it off, when his first serve was in the court he was winning 88 percent of those points. No wonder Milos only faced one break point the entire match. Playing indoors on such a fast surface is almost unfair to the rest of the field when Raonic is serving this well.
Serving bullets is one thing – but to back it up with a lethal forehand is a combination that might be too much for many of his peers on the ATP tour. Raonic is definitely not a serve and volleyer but he is the next best thing – he is a SERVER and FOREHANDER!! So many of his scorching serves came back meekly over the net – Raonic who would have a tough time serve and volleying on a regular basis because the speed of his serve doesn’t give him time to advance to the net – only to be pounded away with a text book forehand that is the envy of players world-wide. But that doesn’t mean he’s shying away from the net either, with the score tied 4-4 in the second set and Raonic serving at 30-40, the lanky Canadian mustered up the courage to serve and volley and was successful on this huge momentum building point. It’s these kinds of situations that will make Raonic a top player if he can continue these tactics in the trickiest of moments.
At last year’s Rogers Cup in Toronto, I sat beside Milos in a Tennis Canada box as we were sitting through multiple rain delays waiting for the conclusion of Murray and Federer. I asked Milos when he was going to be out there in a big final – thinking to myself it would be many years before he played in a final of this magnitude – but he calmly said “ my turn will come I just have to be patient.” I am sure even Milos didn’t think his time would come 6 months later but after watching him last night – as most Canadian tennis fans did – I’m sure this is just the first of many, many tournament finals for the humble Canadian.
Other examples of composure in tight, breath-taking situations occurred throughout the match. The first was when Raonic was down 6-2 in the first set tie-break and went on to win 6 straight points to emphatically close out the set. But the shot of the match in my estimation came at 6-6 in the first set tie-break when Milos, after a lengthy rally, crushed a backhand cross court winner with so much pace that Verdasco looked like he was stuck in mud. The confidence Milos showed on this particular shot at such an important part of the match really registered with me that this guy is fearless and relentless!
And then he did it again! His backhand is generally regarded as one of his weaknesses, but facing a monster point early in the second set tie-break, down 1-2, he cracked another scorching cross court backhand winner that was so good even Verdasco seemed stunned. This was another dagger in the heart of the Verdasco who was the defending champion of this event. Verdasco, looked deflated and seemed to say with his body language – what can I do to beat this guy? Slamming his racquet into his foot and swearing in the direction of his entourage – Verdasco had the wind taken out of his sail with a near perfect performance from the young Canadian. When a player has a huge serve, a world class forehand, a fearless attitude, and a penetrating backhand that catches you off guard on gigantic points, in some circles he would be considered unbeatable.
And then again up 4-3 in the tie-break, Raonic hit a forehand down the line with so much racquet speed and so much confidence you wondered if he had been a superstar tennis player in a previous life – how could a kid who had never been in the spotlight before perform at such a high level? He showed no fear at any point in this match and he looked so at ease even at match point. After relinquishing 2 match points, Raonic needed one more big serve to close out the match and he got it with another 144MPH serve that left Verdasco screaming at the umpire because a fan yelled out just as he struck the ball. But let’s be honest – Verdasco couldn’t handle the serve all day – this was just another example of too much heat and not enough time for the overmatched Spaniard.
Raonic, who was born in Podgorica, Montenegro, and came to Canada as a young boy, will wake up on Valentine’s Day as the #59 ranked player in the world – a jump of almost a 100 places in the last 2 months. Along the way in the tournament, he also beat 4th seeded Xavier Malisse, James Blake and Richard Berankis. He did not have to play a semi-final match after Gael Monfils of France who pulled out with a left wrist problem. Milos went through the entire draw without dropping a set – scary considering it was only his 8th ATP event in his young career.
Ironically, Raonic will face Verdasco again this week in the ATP 250 event in Memphis. The draw was made a few days ago and Raonic, a wild card, will play the second seeded Verdasco on Wednesday in the first round. The Canadian will also be playing doubles with the top seed in the singles competition, Andy Roddick.
The last Canadian to win an ATP tournament title was Montreal’s Greg Rusedski in Seoul, South Korea, in 1995, just days before he chose to switch allegiances and represent England.
Raonic became the youngest winner on the ATP tour since 19 year old Marin Cilic won in 2008. This was a signature win for this rising star, today’s game is all about the serve and the forehand and Milos has mastered both of these shots – with a little work on his mobility and agility around the court, the first time winner will become the highest ranked Canadian of all time. Canadian tennis fans should be treated to some exciting moments in the future because the best young player in the world is a Canadian.
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A Fitness, Tennis, Squash & Sports Blog by Mayfair Clubs 
Man, Raonic really looks like he might becoming something special right now. He’s such a different player than what we have seen in this era as so much is rally oriented (which I think is really fun). As a Canadian I never thought that we would have someone legitimate to cheer for but I guess I was wrong. He’s shot his way up the tennis rankings and with his gigantic serve you just don’t know how far he could go. Good for him for beating Verdasco and getting that first one outta the way, hopefully there’s more to come.
http://chrisross91.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/milos-raonic-the-next-great-one/
Comment by Chris Ross February 14, 2011 @ 7:43 pmmichael, once again, wonderfully written. not only in content but also style. (i teach english so couldn’t resist!) and you put it together so fast! well not as fast as milos’ serve. i met milos in january 2010 at mayfair parkway when he and daniel nestor happened to be practicing there. i kidded with him about the milos character on an episode of seinfeld who couldn’t play tennis if his life depended on it. he said he gets that comparison from alot of people. i found ‘our’ milos to be so bright and cheerful with a great sense of humour. his demeanor, his humility, his friendliness, his ease with conversation, i found to be as much of an asset as the way he has been playing lately. i find him refreshing. a great rising star for canada and a role model for juniors….’this is how you do it’. okay: go leafs, go! ha.
sunita sunshine
Comment by sunita sunshine February 17, 2011 @ 3:35 amGreat article, Michael.
Comment by Carol March 5, 2011 @ 1:45 amAlthough I’ve never met Milos, it filled me with pride to watch his recent matches carried by both TSN and Sportsnet. This young, obviously talented player represented Canada and Canadian Tennis VERY well, both on and off the court. I’d be curious to know what sort of mental training he’s done, as he obviously finds it easy to remain calm when others might crumble. It’s thrilling to watch someone who has such unshakeable belief in themselves that they seemingly rise above their own past highest standards of execution.
carol, yes, i echo your words re: remaining calm when others crumble (like federer, borg and others who were grace under pressure). i’m trying to learn from athletes how they cope under pressure and apply it to ‘regular’ people in work, school situations and other high pressure experiences…it’s something in their training and how can we apply that to our own stuff. i always wanted to do my phd in sports psychology but couldn’t find a uni in canada that offered it. there’s much to learn from high performing athletes! it’s training and having lots of practice in those kinds of situations. having a strong work ethic and perseverance and something else…….
Comment by Sunita Sunshine March 10, 2011 @ 2:17 pm