By Lisa-Marie Burrows
This week, Canadian Milos Raonic has been a continuous feature in tennis discussions this week after breaking into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. The 21-year-old young gun moved up five spots to secure his No. 19 place, thanks to his quarter-final appearance at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week.
Many have predicted great things for the rising star, speculating on whether he will be a future Grand Slam champion, on his ability to break into the top 10 or even break up the mold that has bound the top 5 players so tightly in recently years, but this achievement is something which no Canadian singles players has managed to do before. He is enjoying being on the court; he is living the dream and he still has a lot more to give. Here is a little bit of information and fun facts about the Canadian hero that many may not know about:
Who is Milos Raonic?
Milos Raonic was born Podgorica, Montenegro, in the former Yugoslavia just before Serbia became an independent country and he moved to Canada at the age of 3-years old. He did not begin playing tennis until he was 8-years old and whilst growing up his hero was Pete Sampras. It seems as though he suddenly exploded on the tennis scene from nowhere after enjoying a very successful 2011. He rocketed up the rankings from No.156 at the end of 2010 to a year-end ranking of No.31 in 2011. The 6’5” player is infamous for his booming serves and possesses an all-court style of play. He has won three career titles – his first in San Jose in 2011, which he successfully defended again this year and he has also won on the hard courts of Chennai.
How much does Raonic remember of his Serbian roots?
Milos moved to Canada with his family because of the war that continued in between the surrounding nations. Milos has said before that he doesn’t remember anything about his homeland except for one bad memory that has always stayed with him – the time when he was stung by a bee on his finger when he was 4-years old.
His super serve
When you hear the name ‘Milos Raonic’ you automatically think: big serve. As a child his father made him train with a ball machine at 6:30am and 9:00pm and those early morning starts and workouts seemed to have put him in good stead as a player. He rarely shows aggression on court (apart from when he is serving or during a rally) and emulates the speed and finesse of his hero’s service motion, Pete Sampras.
Making his mark
Milos Raonic made his mark in the tennis world after he won his first ATP Tour title at the SAP Open in San Jose beating the then-ranked world No.9 player, Fernando Verdasco. It was a very special moment for the Canadian and indeed for Canada, as it was the first time a Canadian tennis player won an ATP title since 1995. After this victory, Milos earned a lot of attention from the media – and particularly the Canadian media – which is something he has had to learn to deal with. Very much like Andy Murray and his British expectations, Raonic has expressed how he hopes that it will benefit and influence the juniors who are up and coming in Canada.
Fast Facts
• Raonic plays with a double-handed backhand
• He can speak Serbian and English
• He moved to Canada when he was 3-years old.
• Both of his parents (Dusan and Vesna) are engineers.
• He has a sister called Jelena, and a brother, Momir
• Raonic first picked up a racquet aged 8-years old.
• His favourite surface to play on is on the quick-paced hard courts.
• He confessed that when he was younger, his dad used to make him train with a ball machine early in the morning and at night as they were cheaper to hire during those times.
• Raonic enjoys watching movies and talking to family on Skype when he’s away.
• Raonic is a big fan of football (soccer) and his favourite team is Real Madrid.
• The Canadian has the correct height to be a basketball player and he supports Toronto Raptors.
• His tennis hero as a child was fourteen-time Grand Slam champion ‘Pistol’ Pete Sampras and he admitted that he recorded his matches that were shown on tv.
• He is coached by former ATP pro Galo Blanco (since October 2010)
• His ultimate goal? To remain consistently in the top 50 and break into the top 10.
Milos Raonic’s rise in the rankings has been documented by the ATP World Tour Uncovered, which you can watch using the video below.
