Milos po dojściu do półfinału turnieju w Memphis, awansował do Top-50. Tempo iście kosmiczne.

jaccol55 napisał:

Milos po dojściu do półfinału turnieju w Memphis, awansował do Top-50. Tempo iście kosmiczne.

A po dzisiejszym sukcesie w semi oczywistym jest, że od poniedziałku Milos będzie najwyżej sklasyfikowanym w singlu Kanadyjczykiem w historii. Raonić w najgorszym razie (porażki w finale w Memphis) zostanie sklasyfikowany na 37 pozycji, czyli o 4 miejsca wyżej niż Greg Rusedski za czasów swojej gry w barwach kraju "Klonowego liścia".

Raonić ma na ten moment znakomity bilans gier w 2011: 12-2. W ciągu 5 tygodni nowego sezonu (rozpoczynał na dobrą sprawę startem w Melbourne - licząc występu w turnieju głównym zawodów) wygrał 3 razy więcej gier na szczeblu ATP/ITF (AO) niż w całej swojej karierze do końca 2010 roku. Znakomite przełamanie (się).

Peter Bodo: More to Raonic than supersized frame

This is getting borderline absurd. Just when it seemed Milos Raonic, the pride of Thornhill, Ontario, couldn't top his most recent feat (beating world No. 9 Fernando Verdasco twice in the span of four days), the 6-foot-5 wunderkind rained down a staggering 38 aces (the fifth most in a three-set match since the ATP began keeping the statistic) in a win over Radek Stepanek in Memphis.

Raonic outlasted Stepanek in the kind of classic three-setter you sometimes get between two men who have no fear of cracking the ball on a fairly fast court, winning 6-4, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (1). It was the sixth straight win for Raonic, who's still fresh off his victory over Verdasco in the San Jose final.

If you're sufficiently perverse, you might already have your fingers crossed, hoping for a Raonic versus John Isner first-round encounter at Wimbledon.

The scoreline in Raonic's most recent win is worth contemplating, because it tells you something about this 20-year-old Canadian, who's emerged as the new sensation of the ATP Tour. Losing a tiebreaker in which you squandered four match points is enough to make most inexperienced players come unglued. But Raonic is busy demonstrating that he isn't your run-of-the-mill pledge in the ATP frat house. He extended the match to another tiebreaker and won that one going away, 7-1.

Ever since Raonic burst onto the big stage at the Australian Open, most of the buzz has been about the size of his frame and the size of his serve. As compelling as those subjects are, there's a much more important element in play here. This youngster has a knack for winning tennis matches.

At a time when even the brawniest and biggest of men (think Marin Cilic, who's an inch taller than Raonic, or even Robin Soderling) play a baseline-based game that might be called small, Raonic likes to make the most of his power, his size and the big man's inherent ability to impose himself on opponents. He flat-out plays a big game. You might have guessed that, knowing his childhood idol was Pete Sampras.

Although he was just 6-1, Sampras played like he was 6 inches taller. That was partially a tribute to his exceptional serve (he himself has said that the rarest and finest weapon of all is a great second serve), but also a testament to his attitude. Sampras came right at you, both barrels spitting fire, and if you could beat that, more power to you.

Raonic has similar instincts, and that's going to help him even more than his height and service speed. Raonic is big, albeit not towering (Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro are both taller). More importantly, Raonic plays big. This year, he's 10-4 in tiebreakers (and two of the four he lost were played in Chennai, before his breakout Australian Open). Sure, a big serve helps in those 'breakers, but strong nerves and the ability to make the big shot help even more.

After he was bludgeoned by Raonic in Memphis the other day, an obviously frustrated Verdasco gorged on sour grapes. Referring to the court speed and the advantage it gives a big server, Verdasco said, "For me that's not a real match in tennis. I hope to play soon against him in clay court to show him what it is to play tennis, and play rallies, and run, and not only serve."

My gut reaction is, be careful what you wish for, Fernando.

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/blog/_ … ized-frame

W dniu wczorajszym, Milos osiągnął swój najlepszy ranking w karierze.

Obecnie znajduje się na 37 miejscu na listach światowych.

Now No. 37, Milos Raonic makes Canadian tennis history


Milos Raonic, of Canada, celebrates after breaking the serve of Mardy Fish in a semifinal round match at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships tennis tournament, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. Raonic is now ranked No. 37 in the world after falling in Sunday's final.

Milos Raonic has continued his rapid ascent up the ATP world rankings — making Canadian tennis history in the process.

The 20-year-old from Thornhill, who lost a hard-fought final against Andy Roddick on Sunday in Memphis, jumped 22 places to reach No. 37 — the highest Canadian men’s singles ranking ever. He finished 2010 at No. 156.

Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, meanwhile, vaulted 20 places to No. 60 in the WTA rankings. The 20-year-old reached Saturday’s final in Memphis but, down a set to Magdalena Rybarikova, retired with an abdominal strain.

Raonic was beaten 7-6 (7), 6-7 (11), 6-4 by Roddick, who stayed at No. 8 in the world but pulled out of this week’s event in Boca Raton, Fla. Roddick, who has been battling the flu, said he woke up Monday and “felt like I got hit by a bus. My bed was soaking wet from sweat. It's just unfortunate timing.”

Raonic earned $122,000 U.S. in Memphis, a week after winning his first pro title in San Jose. His match record is 12-3.

Next, Raonic heads to Mexico, where he is a wild-card entry for the 500to prepare for Canada’s Davis Cup tie against Mexico at the 500 event in Acapulco next week where he has been granted a wild card.

There were no changes in the ATP’s top five Monday with Spain’s Rafael Nadal leading Roger Federer of Switzerland, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Robin Soderling of Sweden, and Andy Murray of Britain.

On the women’s side, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki reclaimed top spot, relegated Kim Clijsters of Belgium to No. 2, followed by Vera Zvonareva of Russia, Sam Stosur of Australia and Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/tennis/ar … is-history

Raonic's Result Is A Winner

Milos Raonic’s stature is greater, after his valiant performance in a loss to Andy Roddick in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Memphis on Sunday, than it was when he won in San Jose a week earlier.

Everything came a little too easy in San Jose as he won every match in straight sets, but Memphis was a total grind, with all five going the distance. That included Sunday’s 7-6(7), 6-7 (11), 7-5 loss to Andy Roddick in the final.

It has been a wild ride for the 20-year-old from Thornhill, going back to winning three qualifying rounds and three matches in the main draw at the Australian Open last month.

There has been a lot of talk about Raonic’s outstanding serve and his ability to finish points with big ground strokes, mainly a wicked inside/out forehand.

But, after saving three championship points in the second-set tiebreak against Roddick, rallying from 2-4 down in the final set, and then being on the wrong end of the unforgettable, and ultimate, championship point, two things have emerged that have not been mentioned very often. Milos Raonic is one fit tennis player, and he has guts.

That was plain to see in a match that was overloaded with dramatic twists and turns that gave both players the opportunity to show their competitive grit.

Despite having played four three-set matches in four days going into the final, Raonic hardly gave any indication that he was either mentally or physically tired. That is a crucial attribute to have for a potential future champion because it takes from four to seven matches to win titles at the professional level.

As for his guts, he extricated himself from countless perilous situations with poise beyond his 20 years. There were numerous examples – but maybe the most memorable was in the second-set tiebreak, facing championship point for the third time trailing 9-10. He boldly belted a forehand to Roddick’s backhand, went to the net and coolly put away a winning forehand volley cross-court. Volleying is a bit of a lost art in modern tennis and the ability to pull off that shot under that kind of pressure spoke volumes about his nerves and clear thinking.

Ironically, he employed basically the same tactic on the fifth and final championship point, heading to the net on Roddick’s backhand and seemingly putting away another forehand volley – except that Roddick made a mad dive and scraped a winning forehand down-the-line that he himself did not see because he was doing a 360 roll. He had the burn marks on his forearm as proof of the desperation of his effort.

Roanic was able to appreciate what a great shot his opponent had pulled off when he smiled and said during the trophy presentation, “as a finalist, I think I may be on one of YouTube’s most viewed points. I’m on the wrong end of the court but my name will be, at least, in the description.”

Roddick, 28, was generous in his praise of Raonic a few moments later when he said, “congrats to Milos. Coming from an old guy who’s seen an awful lot of players, you have a lot to look forward to, and you have a very bright future.”

One of the best parts of the match was the fact that, after two sets of basically very short points, a number of long, strategic rallies took place as the third set wound its way to a conclusion. Full marks to Raonic for dialling back on his aggression, especially when he went through a few patches of unforced errors playing that way. It was positive and revealing insight about his ability to change gamestyles depending on the situation.

Speaking of dialling back, it will be hard for a nation, Canada, not to expect much of Raonic who is a tennis revelation like few others in recent memory. In just six weeks, he has made astounding progress.

Every year, reporters vote on the most improved player on the tour. Last year, Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan won the ATP’s most improved player by going from No. 133 to No. 36 over the course of the whole 2010 season.

Raonic, before the month of February is even finished, has already jumped from No. 156 to about No. 37 in the rankings coming out on Monday the 21st.

While it’s all slightly unreal, it has become almost impossible to imagine that he is not the real deal, and a potential world-beater.
Next for Raonic will be the ATP event on clay in Acapulco this week, and then Davis Cup near Mexico City from March 4-6.

He has drawn Carlos Berlocq in his first match in Acapulco. The Argentine may be the loudest, decibel wise, player in the history of tennis. He does not grunt loudly, he actually shouts every time he hits the ball, increasing the level according to the intensity of his effort. He is also a drama king. Last week I watched him played Stanislas Wawrinka in Buenos Aires and he apparently twisted his ankle finishing a first serve facing break point at 2-3 in the final set. He virtually crawled on all fours over to near a line judge’s chair and collapsed like he had been shot. A concerned Wawrinka actually helped him take his shoe off. After a considerable delay, Berlocq resumed play and was soon dashing around at full speed again before finally losing the set 6-3.

So Raonic is forewarned.

I was in northern New York State on Friday and got snowed in Saturday. So, I had to watch the Raonic – Mardy Fish match on a very sketchy live stream feed with live chat going on.

After the match ended, someone posted, “Raonic the new Nadal.”

That struck me as an extremely powerful image, and probably far-fetched. But not quite as far-fetched as it would have seemed just a little over a month ago.

NOTE 1: Congrats to Daniel Nestor for winning the Memphis doubles title, the 72nd of his career and his first with new partner Max Mirnyi.

NOTE 2: I regret to mention this negative about Roddick, who is a fun guy who has been terrific for tennis, particularly American tennis, with his candour and humour. But if I had a Benjamin Franklin for every time he touches his crotch area during a match, I would be heading off to a ritzy hotel and a very nice southern vacation sometime before the end of the winter.

http://www.lovemeansnothing.ca/blog/Rao … s-A-Winner

The Milos Raonic Story (Part 1)

A month ago, Canadian Milos Raonic was the 152nd-ranked player on the ATP Tour.

Today, even before stepping on the court for his semifinal in Memphis against American veteran Mardy Fish, Raonic will likely become the No. 45 player in the world when the new rankings list comes out on Monday.

If he beats Fish, he would jump to about No. 37. If he wins the tournament, he would be within a couple of huge serves of the top 30.

A 20-year-old kid from Thornhill, Ont. is tennis's flavour of the month - and not just back at home. Around the tennis universe

The "boom" you hear isn't just the sound of his 147 mph serve coming off his racquet; it's the sound of his career exploding.

You hear, "can't miss top-10," or "definitely a Grand Slam winner," or "future No. 1."

It's all rather over the top, and an awful lot to live up to.

But it's the result of 12 years of hard work on the tennis courts, of millions of forehands and backhands and serves, of early-morning and late-night sessions with just his father Dusan and a ball machine for company.

It's the culmination of those monotonous footwork drills and nagging injuries, the high-school parties missed, the disappointments and roadblocks and life-defining decisions.

"I used to look him in the eye, across the net when he was 13 or 14 and tell him, "I believe this. You're going to make it. You're going to play these (top) guys. So you have to take this seriously," said Casey Curtis, who coached Raonic in from age eight until he left for a three-year-stint at the national training centre in Montreal.

He was like a clumsy, newborn colt back in those days, long-legged, a little shaky on his pins, yet to grow into his now 6-5 frame.

One junior contemporary, Gastao Elias, told a Portuguese colleague this week that Raonic lost to "everybody" back then, because he was just so uncoordinated.

But Elias added that, despite that, everyone also thought he'd be good.

Very good.

Curtis doesn't remember it quite that way. "I think the best guys beat him. But usually, when Milos lost, the guy won the tournament," he said. "He was very lanky and didn't have enough strength in his legs to cut, and support the movement required to play at that level.

"He's got that now."

Friend and frequent doubles partner Vasek Pospisil, a B.C. native who has beaten Raonic more often than he has lost to him on the Challenger and Futures circuit but whose breakthrough hasn't come quite as quickly, remembers that gangly kid.

"I definitely remember those days. He only really got rid of that when he joined the national training centre, worked hard on footwork and coordination overall. He looks a lot more natural now and moves better on the court. And he has matured physically," Pospisil said. "But he always had the big serve. Even when he was 15 or 16, that's what everybody was talking about, even in juniors."

Raonic is the ATP Tour leader in aces this season. He also has put up the fastest serve of the season.

"He's obviously blessed with fast-twitch (muscle) fibre, not just on the serve. But you have to coach it; he worked extremely hard on that serve over the years. He didn't walk in the door at eight years old with it," Curtis said. "Even at 12, it was basically, technically, almost a perfect motion. I said to him, 'You've got the best serve in the world – not the fastest. The key is to keep it for the next eight to 10 years."

If you don't believe it, here's a little clip of a not-quite-13 Raonic serving it up (and volleying)

Eight years later, he does.

Pospisil, who is nearly as tall, doesn't have the same serve. But he understands it's probably a unique combination of circumstances. "He’s got long arms, and just a little built differently in the body and arms," Pospisil said. "It's also a gift ... and a lot of hard work, too."

Here are a few photos, courtesy of his longtime coach Casey Curtis, of Raonic, father Dusan.

Here's the future charmer with Curtis's daughter Summer Grace, to whom he bestowed a rose on her first Valentine's Day. (Awwwwwwwww....

                                 **********

Tennis Canada high-performance director Louis Borfiga saw something in the kid.

Newly hired to turn Tennis Canada's player program into a world-class effort in the mold of the successful structure in his native France, Borfiga had barely landed in Canada about 4 1/2 years ago when he saw a young Raonic playing in an under-18 event in Ste-Hyacinthe, Que.

"He was playing in the consolations and I said, 'He's good.' I talked with the coaches and they said, 'No, no.' But I kept him in my head and followed him," Borfiga said. "I just thought there was something."

Raonic soon joined the new national program out of the Jarry Park Tennis Centre

His junior career wasn't all that much to brag about. He reached a respectable No. 35 in the ITF junior rankings. But much of that was due to the fact that he played so many events. Since the national training centre got under way, the Canadian kids have traveled all over the place, playing practically every junior event they can get to.

So there weren't many huge junior scalps on Raonic's resumé. He never even made it to a junior Grand Slam tournament until his final year of eligibility. And in three events, he won only one match.

The issue wasn't as much the playing as the attitude.

"Believe me, it’s as much the mental. At 14, 15, 16, he was ready to beat the top guys, he would just
lose it," Curtis said. "Once, at the Orange Bowl, he got a ball call and just lost it. He was killing the guy ... and just lost it."

Here's a photo montage of Raonic's Grand Slam junior experience...

He was going to go to the University of Virginia on a tennis scholarship. Borfiga says he talked him out of it, told him to give it two years.

Here is a brief clip of Raonic playing at the junior French Open in 2008.

And you wanted Milos Raonic on grass? We've got your Milos Raonic on grass

http://communities.canada.com/montrealg … art-1.aspx

The Milos Raonic Story (Part 2)

Raonic had a little success on the pro circuit early in the
2008 and 2009 seasons, most of it coming in the low-level Futures circuit that
goes through Hull, Montreal and Granby each March.
When he won in Montreal as a wild card entry in 2009, his first pro
title, he said his goal was to play 100 matches that season.

He got big bucks, too, as you can see.

He was 24-5 at the
time, but a fracture of the scaphoid bone in his right hand, an injury he tried
to play through, scuttled that.

Here's some video. You'll notice that back two years ago, he came to the net a lot more.

After a tough few months, Raonic got a wild card into the qualifying at the Rogers Cup. He was ranked just inside the top 700 at the time, just 18.

The kid rode a wave. He defeated two quality opponents in the qualifying in Teimuraz Gabashvili and Michael (le Magnifique) Llodra, just coming off an injury at the time (then again, what else is new).

Here's some video from that Llodra match (please excuse the cinéma vérité camera work; this was the infancy of Open Court's video days. We hope we've gotten better since then, with reader input helping quite a bit).

He was pretty excited about it.

In his main-draw match, Raonic came within one huge forehand of upsetting top-10 player Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

It was a pretty serious match on the Banque Nationale Court, a bit reminiscent of the drama when Frank Dancevic took on Fernando Verdasco on the same court two years prior (unfortunately, not with the same positive Canadian outcome).

Here's some vid.

After that match, Raonic said the trick was to go back onto the minor-league circuit with the same level of intensity and commitment he displayed on the big stage – which is not easy to do.

For awhile, he did.

Raonic rode what wave through a Futures series in Thailand, and
moved up 300 spots in the rankings to break into the top 400. He then tried to
take the next big step, up to the Challengers level, late in the season. But he didn’t have much
success.

In 2010, he dropped back down the Futures level, but
struggled early on. Another return “home”, to Quebec, resulted in a final at the
Challenger tournament in Granby, and he was on his way.

First-round losses to Robert Kendrick in Vancouver (the same
Robert Kendrick he defeated in Memphis Friday) and Victor Hanescu the Rogers
Cup in Toronto were a setback.

But his first qualifying effort in a Grand slam, at the U.S.
Open, was successful. He didn't drop a set in three matches.

But Raonic lost to Aussie lefty Carsten Ball in the first round of the main draw
– a defeat he didn't take well.

Here's some video of that.

What Raonic said after that match has been rather misconstrued in the rush of media attention lately.

What he did say - essentially – was that he told himself after the loss that never again would he lose a match because of fitness.

People assume that meant he was tired after the three qualifying matches (all of which were in straight sets, by the way). But that wasn't it; it was a matter of so rarely in his young career having played best-of-five sets. And when he went down two sets to one, the prospect of having to win two more sets to win the match, knowing he probably didn't

And so, onto the next chapter...

http://communities.canada.com/montrealg … art-2.aspx