France Defeats Raonic-Less Canada in Davis Cup Action

By Mike McIntyre

It was not the end Canadian tennis fans had envisioned for their opening round Davis Cup tie against France. Instead of watching the highly anticipated singles match between world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga and big-serving Milos Raonic, there was an initial sigh of disbelief when it was announced Frank Dancevic would be playing for Canada in the crucial fourth match.

It turns out that Raonic had developed a pain in his knee that worsened during his doubles match with Daniel Nestor on Saturday. He made the decision only this morning to abdicate his position in favour of Dancevic, who at 178^th in the ATP World Tour rankings did not present nearly the same amount of firepower Canada required to level the Davis Cup tie at two apiece.

Raonic’s decision was nothing short of controversial and had the press buzzing at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. The way the news leaked was through Raonic’s agent Graham Cross who gave a short prepared statement on behalf of his protégé to Tennis Canada less than an hour prior to the match itself. Even more distressing was the fact that Raonic would apparently not be made available at all today to answer any questions about the decision to withdraw.

Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and Raonic did face the media for a very brief Q&A following the conclusion of the match between Tsonga and Dancevic. Raonic was not spared from answering tough questions about the decision.

First he was asked whether his sponsorship by SAP played any part in the decision to pull-out, since they are also the title sponsors at the tournament in San Jose that starts tomorrow where Raonic is the defending champion. Could it be that his duties to appear there trumped his willingness to test the knee in action today?

Raonic certainly would not concede to that suggestion and instead levelled that it was merely a case of not wanting to cause further harm to his body at this stage of his young career. I chose to take his answer at face value given the amount of time he missed last year with a serious hip injury.

Raonic was further queried about the manner in which he revealed his withdrawal from game-play today without initially speaking to the press. Couldn’t he have found a more professional and transparent way to address the situation?

His response was that he decided to place the Canadian team first and be supportive of Dancevic as he prepared for his big match today. I suppose Raonic failed to foresee the distraction his silence would spark.

Chalk it up to a young player who at the age of twenty-one still has a lot to learn about the way that professional sports and its media coverage operates. One might however wonder if he is being properly advised by his agent, Cross, who also happens to represent American tennis player Andy Roddick – himself not exactly a known charmer with the media.

Either way, there was in fact a tennis match that was played outside of this small debacle. It even ended up being quite an entertaining match at that.

The twenty-seven year old Dancevic relied on his previous Davis Cup experience to at least make a game of it today against his much higher ranked and more talented opponent.

Despite falling behind quickly to 0-4 in the opening set, Dancevic got one break of serve back from the powerful Tsonga and narrowed the gap to 4-3 in favour of the Frenchman.

Though Dancevic would lose the set 6-4, he seemed to be gaining momentum from the ever-raucous crowd that began a steady “Frank the Tank” chant to support their man.

The second set saw some fantastic tennis and an elevated number of winners from both players. That being said, even though he maintained the score at 4-4 and kept it close, Dancevic rarely threatened to break Tsonga’s rock-solid serve. The Canadian would let the set slip by another score of 6-4.

By the third frame, Dancevic was clearly starting to loose his stamina while Tsonga continued his strong play. France would take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 and with it the all-important third and deciding victory to clinch the tie against Canada.  

Dancevic should be proud of the way he battled, especially since he was thrust into the spotlight on short notice. He played hard and gave Tsonga a bit more of a challenge than the Frenchman likely expected when he realized it was not going to be the 6’5’’ Raonic across the net from him on this day.

For Milos, it was hopefully a learning experience on how to handle a tough situation like this one in the future. As the emerging face of tennis in Canada he will certainly have other opportunities on the world stage to prove his worth and ability.

For Canada, it was a three day celebration of the wonderful sport of tennis and how it can galvanize a nation. The crowds in Vancouver were top-notch and cheered for their players with the type of fervour normally reserved for a Stanley Cup hockey game. They remained respectful of the French team while simultaneously pumping-up their players in the search for a victory that was unfortunately just not meant to be.

France Gains Upper-Hand Over Canada With Doubles Victory

Benneteau/Llodra and Raonic/Nestor prior to the match

Written By Mike McIntyre With Photos By Bob McIntyre

Whoever said doubles was boring should have been in attendance today for the Davis Cup match between Canada and France at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.

No special gimmicks were required to make the match any more enticing such as no-ad scoring or champions tie-breaks. Instead it was good ol' fashioned best-of-five set tennis with the strongest team emerging with the victory.

It was no surprise that Canada opened with the 6'5'' Milos Raonic to serve against France. Why not go with your biggest weapon? Raonic was a late addition to partner with Nestor as he replaced Vasek Pospisil who was previously scheduled to play. Canadian coach Martin Laurendeau admitted the change was made due to Raonic's strong play on Friday against Julien Benneteau in the second singles match of the day. France for their part stuck to their guns and put Benneteau out there with doubles specialist Michael Llodra.

The Canadian crowd was once again fired-up for the match today. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the vocal support and emotion displayed by the home-town crowds. Canadians are well-know for being among the most polite people in the world and I wondered whether or not they would be able to raise the roof of the arena to a level one would expect for Davis Cup play. While fans are expected to remain silent during the points just as they would during a normal ATP match, the level of support shown in-between is usually much higher in international competition.

Vancouver's "Green Men" with a proposal for the French

One sure-fire way to silence a small but supportive French crowd - the Sardis Secondary School Drumline, in town for the second day in-a-row from Chilliwack, British Columbia which is about an hour and a half away from Vancouver. Tennis Canada should look into bringing these guys to Toronto and/or Montreal in August for the Rogers Cup as they really have a knack for amping-it up.

After play began and at 3-3 in the first set, Nestor was seriously challenged on his serve with three break point opportunities against him, but the Canadian duo managed to pull it out to remain on serve at 4-3. The set would proceed to a first set tie-break and France went up quickly to a 5-0 lead. Their returns had been extremely solid on both Nestor and Raonic's serve, but they took it to a new level in the breaker. The French would take the tie-break 7-1 to win the key opening set.

Tough day at the office for the Canadians

The second set would again go to a tie-break although the French had more sustained pressure on the Canadians throughout the frame. One had the feeling that the Canucks were a bit lucky to make it to another tie-break. In particular, it would seem that the Llodra/Benneteau pairing were more in sync with eachother while often it looked like Nestor and Raonic were not as comfortable in their pairing.

While Nestor is more accustomed to playing with different partners over the years both on the ATP World Tour and in Davis Cup play, Raonic is by no means a doubles specialist. His serve was not at its best throughout the match and without it he is still a developing player who lacks the experience to compensate.

The third set went quickly in favour of the French and the final score ended up 7-6(1), 7-6(2), 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes. The victory gave the French a critical 2-1 lead in the tie and the ability to finish it off by winning one of the two singles matches on Sunday.

Hugs all-around for the victorious French

In hindsight, it was perhaps a tactical flaw to assume that Nestor and Raonic would gel as a doubles tandem purely because of Raonic's powerful serve and Nestor's experience. In fact, it was only the second time the pair had ever played together at an event.The only previous occurrence was in 2010 in a Davis Cup win over Colombia. On the other side of the net was a partnership between Llodra and Benneteau that has played several times together over the years and won titles on more than one occasion.

Neither Nestor or Raonic would use that as an excuse however, and instead gave full-credit to the way their opponents played on this important day. Nestor did most of the talking in the post-match press conference which is not surprising considering his long-standing role with the Canadian team.

"At the end of the day, they were the better team," Nestor admitted. "For whatever reason we weren’t as sharp as they were."

Raonic will now have less than twenty-four hours to find a way to be sharper on Sunday. He is set to face world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the first singles match tomorrow at 2pm Pacific Time. 

Raonic To Face Idol Sampras in Toronto Exhibition

By Mike McIntyre

Twenty year-old Canadian tennis phenom Milos Raonic is set to face legend Pete Sampras, the man he idolized growing-up, in an exhibition match in Toronto this November that is being billed as the Face-Off presented by SAP.

Mark November 17th on your calendars as it will showcase the first ever tennis match to be played at the Air Canada Centre, which normally houses the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Thursday night tennis exhibition will also feature Canadian female players Aleksandra Wozniak and Eugenie Bouchard. The format for the evening will include some mixed-doubles with the four tennis stars, followed by a women's set between veteran Wozniak and up-and-coming junior sensation Bouchard. The evening with culminate with the exciting feature match between Raonic and Sampras.

Surprisingly, the match will be the first that Raonic has played on home soil this year due to a difficult hip injury that he sustained at Wimbledon in June. The recovery period forced him to miss playing in Canada's Masters 1000 event, the Rogers Cup and also prevented him from competing at the U.S. Open.

Since returning to the ATP World Tour earlier in October, Raonic has quickly found the form that catapulted him into the top-thirty in the world rankings earlier in 2011.

He lost a tough match to second-ranked Rafael Nadal in Tokyo and then suffered another difficult defeat in Shanghai against world no. 5 David Ferrer. Not an easy return to the game for any player after a nearly four month layoff.

Things took a step-up this past week in Stockholm where Raonic advanced all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champion Gael Monfils 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

With the regular season of professional tennis nearly over, the exhibition with Sampras will be a nice way for the young Canuck to finish his roller-coaster year.

"Playing in front of my hometown against my hero growing up is a dream come true," said Raonic. "I'm also really excited about playing the first ever tennis event at the Air Canada Centre with Pete, Aleks, and Eugénie and I know tennis fans in Toronto and surrounding provinces will pack the arena to see how I match up with one of the best of all time".

One would normally be suspicious about how a forty year old like Sampras could compete with someone just entering his physical prime, but the American tennis legend has been quite active this fall while playing on Jim Courier's Champions Series tennis circuit.

The former 14-time Grand Slam champion finished the season as the top-ranked player on the senior tour and displayed that he still has a knack for coming up with some booming serves when required and has not lost his killer instinct on a tennis court. He finished with an 11-2 record against some of the best players of his generation including Andre Agassi and Michael Chang.

Always a proud man on the court, Sampras has said that he is, "looking forward to playing in Canada once again. I have great memories playing in the tournaments in Toronto and Montreal during my professional career and playing against Milos will certainly bring out that same competitive fire. I am anxious to show Milos and the fans that I can still play with the best at the highest level."

Here at ProTennisFan and in connection with title sponsor of the event, SAP Canada, we are happy to announce a contest for fans looking to attend the event live. Two of our lucky readers will get free tickets to watch Raonic and Sampras in-person at the Air Canada Centre. The winning tickets will be given to a reader of ours who comments on this posting and will be selected on November 8th, one week prior to the big event. Please leave your email address in your post so that you can be contacted if your name is selected.

Fans looking to follow Milos as the event draws near can check out the young star on Twitter where he is a regular contributor. You can also follow our Tweets at ProTennisFan to stay in the loop.

We'll leave you with a link to series of videos that feature Milos as well as one in particular of Milos giving tips on how to have an effective serve. We hope you get the chance to watch him deliver his trademark weapon in person on November 17th. Good luck!

Wimbledon Day One Review

By Mike McIntyre

No big surprises on day one at Wimbledon, although with the rain being ever-present there were several matches that never had a chance to take to the courts.

Reigning men's champion Rafa Nadal came through in straight sets against Michael Russell of the United States by a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. The veteran Russell did give the crowd some entertaining points against Nadal including a couple of Boris Becker-like diving volleys but never really had a chance.

The hope of the host nation, Andy Murray, survived a first set hiccup and prevailed against clay-court player Daniel Gimeno-Traver 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0. With only one previous win at Wimbledon (in 2009 vs. Taylor Dent), many expected Murray to steamroll his Spanish opponent. Instead Gimeno-Traver came out ready to play and hitting a hard, go-for-broke forehand at the Scot from the opening game. Murray would recover and deliver three sets of tennis that was more in-line with expectations against an inexperienced grass court player like Gimeno-Traver. Still, the UK press will likely roast him for his first set failure.

Sixth seeded Tomas Berdych, a finalist a year ago, had no trouble dispatching aging vet Filippo Volandri 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the second round.

Other seeded players including Gael Monfils, Mardy Fish, Stan Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet all advanced in straight sets as one would expect.

The 30th seed, Tomas Bellucci went down to crafty Rainer Schuettler in a result that really should not cause any shock. Bellucci is known more for his clay court abilities while the 35 year-old Schuettler has played Wimbledon twelve times before and made the semi-finals here in 2008.

Canadian sensation Milos Raonic won his first ever main draw match at Wimbledon over lucky loser Marc Giquel comfortably, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3. Many are expecting big things from Raonic on this surface with his booming serve and apt talents at the net. A third round tilt with Nadal looms and will have everyone watching very closely.

Other results of note include Phillip Kohlschreiber losing to Denis Istomin in a mild upset. Once promising American Donald Young went down in four sets to compatriot Alex Bogomolov Jr. and veteran Tommy Haas still has a ways to go in his return from injury as he fell in four sets to the man who once stole Andy Roddick's mojo - Gilles Muller.

With more rain on the forecast for tomorrow it could be another trying day for tournament organizers and players alike. Fortunately with the cover over Centre Court we are guaranteed some live action.

Here's the order of play for Tuesday. Check back with us again soon for more news either here or on our Twitter feed.

 

 

Wimbledon Men's Preview 2011

By Mike McIntyre

To me, the start of summer has always been christened by the opening day of play on the prestigious lawns of the All-England Club. As a child, school had just finished and my family and I would take that first week off and head to the East Coast for some beach time in Kennebunkport, Maine. Regardless of how sunny it was, I would usually find myself sitting in front of the television watching the opening rounds of Wimbledon, while my parents and siblings instead made their way to the ocean shaking their heads at my stubborn dedication to the sport I loved.

Growing up with the great Boris Becker/Stefan Edberg rivalry during the summers of 1988, 89 and 90 would forever ingrain a love for tennis within me that has endured to this day. Later, players like Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic and Tim Henman would further my affection for the magic that could happen during this famous fortnight. Today, as the tournament is preparing to begin, I find myself once more looking forward to the start of summer and the two best week's of tennis I could ever imagine.

Here then is our Wimbledon preview for 2011. We'll have a look quarter by quarter and amuse ourselves with analysis, historical data and all the potential marquee matchups that tennis fans look forward to watching as the draw unfolds. 

Nadal's Quarter:

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal has not lost a match at Wimbledon since the finals in 2007. He has won the last two times he has played the event in 2008 and 2010, while injuries kept him away in 2009. Nadal has just captured his sixth French Open title and will attempt to marvel the sporting world with the possibility of another back-to-back Roland Garros/Wimbledon accomplishment.

Nadal will have his hands full with the draw he has received although his first match against veteran American journeyman Michael Russell provides a nice opening act, followed by the winner of Pablo Andujar/Ryan Sweeting. Then things get tricky for the (current) world number one.

Canadian wonder-boy Milos Raonic is set to play Wimbledon for the first time and, with his serve and volley game tailor-made for grass court tennis, could cause some serious damage. In many other sections of the draw, Raonic would have been a favorite to advance to the quarter-finals based on his impressive arsenal of fast-court weapons. While he could still give Nadal a heck of a ride, you'd have to imagine that Nadal's experience will stave off this potential upset.

Juan Martin Del Potro, seeded 24th, has shown great results in his comeback from wrist surgery and is starting to make his way back towards the top ten. He should be around to face Nadal in the fourth round in another match that will push Nadal to his limits. The Argentine has never had much success on grass, failing to ever advance past the second round of Wimbledon, yet he has many of the tools to be successful on the surface. Regardless of past accomplishments, he is not someone Nadal will look forward to facing this early in the tournament.

A rematch of last year's final with Tomas Berdych could occur in the quarter-finals if both he and Nadal hold true to their seedings. Berdych had a fantastic tournament a year ago in making his first ever Grand Slam final and in dispatching Roger Federer in the quarters, but has since failed to make much forward momentum with his career progress. A first round loss at the U.S. Open last year was followed by the quarter-finals in Australia this year and then another first round loss at the French a few weeks ago. Even at full-tilt, Berdych has not troubled Nadal in years and I don't expect that to change if they meet again here next week.

Murray's Quarter

Flying under the radar is local favorite and whipping-boy Andy Murray. Murray had a breakthrough season in 2009 where he won six titles but a year ago took a step backwards as he only captured two titles and failed to claim his first major title as many expected he might do. This season started slowly for Murray but he seems to be rounding into form after a semi-final appearance on his least favorite surface of clay at Roland Garros and then in winning the Queen's Club title over Tsonga after dismantling Andy Roddick by an emphatic score of 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals. With all eyes on Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Murray has the perfect opportunity to steal their thunder this year at home.

Murray opens against clay court specialist Daniel Gimeno-Traver in what should be a quick and ruthless result for the world number four and he will have to wait until the third round before a real test against either Croatian Marin Cilic or Ivan Ljubicic. In the round of sixteen he could come up against Richard Gasquet who has made the semis of Wimbledon before and the quarters would likely bring him Andy Roddick who no longer seems capable of competing with the big guns. With low expectations this year, Murray might be able to deflect the scrutiny of the UK media machine and actually come up with the moment we have all been waiting for. A semi-final with Nadal could be epic.

Federer's Quarter:

The six-time champion must be ecstatic with his draw that has a birth in the semi-finals all-but assured. Unless Roger has his "George Bastl moment", he should be sailing through just as he did in Paris last month. A meeting with David Nalbandian in the third round will not hold the same luster it once did, as Nalbandian has been oft-injured and needs more time to return to form. John Isner could meet up with Fed in the quarters, or perhaps Mikhail Youzhny, but neither one will trump one of the greatest grass-court players of all-time. Truly it will have to be a semi-final against Novak Djokovic to put Roger to the test in this year's edition, but even then I think we're going to see the Swiss maestro back in the finals where he so often has found himself.

Djokovic's Quarter

Up until his semi-final loss to Federer at the French Open, the tennis world was completely fascinated by the incomparable play of Novak Djokovic who began the 2011 season with a 41-0 record and came within one victory of tying John McEnroe's record where he began the 1984 season 42-0.

With that loss, fans and media pundits alike (yours truly included) have suddenly tapered their expectations for Djokovic and have realigned themselves for the usual Federer/Nadal final prediction at Wimbledon.

The pressure to continue his streak is over, so Djokovic has a bit of reprieve form the spotlight, however he is less than 100 points behind Nadal for the number one ranking, which would be a first for him in his career. It will be considered a disappointment if Djokovic fails to make the finals but I don't think he can beat Federer if Roger is at his grass-court best and playing the same brand of aggressive and near-flawless tennis he played against him in Paris.

Djokovic should be able to navigate through the first few rounds with opponents like Jeremy Chardy, Marcos Baghdatis and Viktor Troicki on deck. A quarter-final against Robin Soderling could offer a great tilt in what would be their first grass-court meeting.

Overall it seems likely to me that the top four players in the world will advance to the semi-finals. If so, we would be treated to a second consecutive Slam where this has happened and that in itself is a great thing for tennis fans of the ATP World Tour.

Enjoy the opening rounds. Matches like Marcos Baghdatis against James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt versus Kei Nishikori and most importantly a rematch of John Isner and Nicolas Mahut should offer a great start to the tournament and to another summer of fantastic tennis.

Stay tuned to ProTennisFan for coverage throughout the event and feel free to follow us on Twitter as well for regular updates.

Here is the order of play for tomorrow:

Monday's Order of Play

 

Canadian Missile: Milos Raonic Rockets up the ATP Rankings

By Mike McIntyre

Talking to John McEnroe a year ago at a tennis exhibition in Hamilton, Ontario, the seven time Grand Slam champion told me that, “if tennis was played on ice, Canada would have a top-ten player.” While his comments were made in jest, there was an unfortunate truth they held as well. Known more for producing hockey stars than top-level tennis players, Canada had no players in the top one hundred of the ATP World Tour singles rankings.

 While we can boast of Daniel Nestor, perhaps the most accomplished doubles player of all-time, there has been a lack of tangible singles results from our country since Greg Rusedski jumped-ship for Great Britain in the mid 1990s.

 Fast forward to the first quarter of 2011 and if you take a look the rankings you’ll notice that Canadian Milos Raonic has seemingly out of nowhere approached the top thirty players in the world. After the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California in March Raonic was ranked 34^th in the world - the highest singles ranking ever for a Canadian male tennis player. At just twenty years of age Raonic has skyrocketed up the rankings with more attention and enthusiasm than any player since a guy named Rafael Nadal did back in 2004.

 The first indication that Raonic was more than your average player was back in August during the Rogers Cup in Toronto. In a rare moment where a first-round doubles match took centre court, Raonic and his fellow Canadian partner, Vasek Pospisil, faced the unenviable task of facing Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – who at the time were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the singles rankings. Despite whatever nerves they must surely have been feeling, the young Canucks defeated their far more accomplished opponents by a score of 5-7, 6-3, 10-8.

 Raonic finished the year unspectacularly but was taking solid steps in the right direction. He would play Nadal once more, this time in singles competition and was beaten by a respectable score of 6-4. 6-4. After the match Nadal said of Raonic, “You can't compare big servers, everyone has their own serve, but his is unbelievable. I think he will rise in the rankings.”

 It was during the off-season that Raonic was able to take his game to the next level. While he resides in Thornhill, he went to Spain to train with coach and former ATP player Galo Blanco where he took advantage of hitting with seasoned professionals like David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. The positive results from his hard work were evident at the Australian Open in January where Raonic progressed through three matches of the qualifying draw before advancing all the way to the fourth round – the first Canadian to do so at a Grand Slam since Daniel Nestor did it at Wimbledon in 1999. En route to the final sixteen, Raonic impressively dismissed some seriously experienced competitors including tenth ranked Mikhail Youzhny. Clearly his arsenal contained more than just a big serve.

 Raonic refused to rest on his laurels from Melbourne and proceeded to make the fourth round of an event in Johannesburg and then most impressively won the title a week later in San Jose over Fernando Verdasco - a regular in the top-ten.

 While his results so far this season are impressive, the real excitement with Raonic stem from the enormous potential that tennis fans and the media alike are sensing. Former players like John and Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill and even the great Pete Sampras have weighed in on the skill and maturity that Milos’ possesses and the consensus for his potential greatness is unanimous.

 I had the pleasure of catching up with Milos shortly after his first ATP win and he took the time to answer some questions for ProTennisFan. His responses questions demonstrate not only the youthful innocence and exuberance one might expect of someone his age but also a quiet confidence in himself that signifies his belief in what lies ahead.

 ProTennisFan: Let’s start with how you got your beginning in tennis. How old were you when you first took up the sport and who or what sparked your interest?

Raonic: I started playing tennis when I was 8 years old, my dad sparked my initial interest in the sport, and after that my first coach, Casey Curtis believed in me so much and pushed me always new keep getting better and reaching new levels. After I started playing tennis my love for the sport grew, and I could never get enough. I always wanted to play and be on the court.

PTF: What players did you look up to when you were younger and what players today do you admire the most?

Raonic: I looked up to Sampras and I idolized him, he really inspired me and I watched all his televised matches more than once. Today I try to improve and not look up to anyone because I want to beat them and be better then them. But I admire what Federer and Nadal have done for the sport.
 
PTF: It seems as though you took a giant leap forward with your results in the latter half of 2010. To what do you attribute the success that you achieved in the late stages of the year?

 
Raonic: I think I have improved a lot over the last year and I have picked up a lot of experience. I have matured a lot and been able to control my emotions better on court, allowing myself to see my match clearer and therefore adjust my game and play better. This has been a big step for me as well as improving every part of my game and my physical fitness level.

PTF: For tennis fans here in Canada and in Toronto in particular, we remember the terrific doubles match you and Vasek Pospisil had against Nadal and Djokovic. Despite your main focus as a singles player, how meaningful was that match in terms of your confidence?

Raonic: It was big for me, especially recognition wise. It made me more known to Canadian tennis fans and it gave me a taste of beating the top players. I didn't take too much from it because it was doubles and I know singles is very different but it definitely helped me reach my ranking today.

PTF: How has Tennis Canada helped you in your transition from the junior ranks to now competing on the ATP World Tour? Who has been a big help along the way?
 
Raonic: Yeah, they have been supportive financially and morally. They have provided me with facilities to train in Montreal and with coaching. They have also helped me look for coaches and Louis Borfiga and Michael Downey have helped me make big decisions.

PTF: Have any Canadian players in particular been a source of strength for you over the past few years? How close are you guys as a group?

Raonic: The team has been good to me, former player Frederic Niemeyer has been the biggest influence, especially coaching me for the year and helping me with his knowledge and experience. The team is growing and young and we are becoming closer and closer with each Davis Cup tie.
 
PTF: Is it difficult playing for a nation where tennis has not really had a true top-level singles player or does it merely motivate you to be the first to enjoy that breakthrough?

Raonic: I think Canada has a lot of talent and athletic ability, it’s just the kids and families see the success in hockey and they want to go and play hockey. I think if I was able to achieve something big and put tennis up in Canada that could change, so I feel I am sort of a tennis ambassador to Canada. I like the responsibility that comes with it and I hope to be able to make a big change.

PTF: John McEnroe once joked that Canada would have a top-ten player if tennis was played on ice. Why do you think our country has struggled so hard to get to that level and do you feel that we are getting closer to seeing other players like yourself start to make that push?
 
Raonic: Yes, we are getting closer and I feel we will keep getting better and better, we have the environment and the facilities, and we just need to keep working hard and believing. We need that confidence and swagger that Canadian hockey players have.

PTF: You’ve mentioned before how happy you are to represent Canada, but being born in Montenegro, how do you deal with the questions that I’m sure come up regarding your options of playing there as well?
 
Raonic: I always reply the same, I play for Canada and I will continue to play for Canada.

PTF: What would you be doing if you weren’t a tennis player at the moment?
 
Raonic: Studying for a finance degree.

PTF: What aspects of being a “normal” 20 year old do you miss out on?
 
Raonic: Not much, my life is pretty amazing and fun, but I would love to have the college experience. But playing tennis is much more fun for me.

PTF: You’ve enjoyed your first title on the ATP Tour; you’ve cracked the top-forty, become the highest ranked Canadian singles player ever and made it to the 4th round of a Grand Slam. Which accomplishment this season has meant the most to you and why?
 
Raonic: The ATP title, because it’s the type of goal you dream about since you were young and it was the only moment out of all of them that made me really emotional.
 
PTF: What perks or benefits have you enjoyed since becoming more well-known on tour? Are there any negative aspects to your newfound notoriety as well?
 
Raonic: I make time to do a few more fun things, like go to the zoo, safari and other local things that are fun, also it’s easier to book practice courts, and you don't have to worry as much about sharing. There isn't much negative at all.

PTF: Have you made any spontaneous purchases with any of your winnings from either the Aussie Open or San Jose yet or have you even had time to enjoy any of it just yet?
 
Raonic: Naw, I have just enjoyed more expensive steaks. I love a good steak!

PTF: Not sure if you heard Brad Gilbert label you the “Maple Leaf Missile”? Any thoughts on that nickname? Do you have another existing nickname we should use instead?
 
Raonic: I like the nickname, I have a few others. In Spain they call me "avatar" because of my long legs and height.

PTF: What kind of schedule do you plan on following this year on tour? How does your recent success change (if at all) the tournaments you plan to enter?
 
Raonic: I will do a full clay court swing all the way through to Roland Garros starting in Monte Carlo. And then off to the grass courts. I look forward to it. The only thing that's changed is I won't have to play qualifying.

PTF: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Milos and good luck the rest of the year!

 

Around The Corner: Miami Masters

By Mike McIntyre

After another dominating performance by Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells, the Masters 1000 level action continues this week in Miami at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who battled for the title in Indian Wells, both have a first round bye along with the other top thirty-one seeds. Good thing too, as the top two players in the world headed straight to Bogota, Columbia to play in an exhibition match on Monday. Nadal gained a small dose of revenge as he won that match 7-6(5), 6-3. Of course that result is meaningless as both players were no-doubt trying to conserve energy for Miami.

Nadal has a tough opening section of the draw in Miami and will face the winner between Kei Nishikori and Jeremy Chardy. Either way I would say this is a tough opening match that could test a tired Nadal. Both Alexandr Dolgopolov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are also in Nadal's quadrant of the draw and they could present a threat in the fourth round.

In the other section of the upper half of the draw are Roger Federer and Andy Roddick who could clash if they both progress through to the quarter-finals. Federer has a decent section to navigate with players like Radek Stepanek, Marcos Baghdatis and Juan Monaco present but not strong enough to threaten him. 

Roddick could see Marin Cilic in the third round but the defending champion should be quite capable of winning his first few matches. It is about time that Roddick showed us what he can still do on the ATP World Tour. If he doesn't come ready to play, the American veteran will likely find himself dropping out of the top ten in the rankings.

No longer even mentioned in the conversation of Grand Slam contenders, Roddick's attitude is perhaps what needs the most adjustment. Physically his serve and other aspects of his game have not changed very much, however his confrontational nature seems at an all-time high. His verbal abuse towards the chair umpire in his loss to Richard Gasquet in Indian Wells was obnoxious and immature and did not endear himself towards any of the fans that surely wanted to support their country's most recent slam winner.

In the bottom half of the draw we have a much tougher area of competition. Players like Robin Soderling, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and of course Novak Djokovic are all going to be forced to battle within this section.

It will be interesting to see how Raonic reacts to suddenly being seeded and having more expectations placed upon him. He is now considered to be a favorite to move through the opening rounds. An Australian Open rematch against off-season hitting partner David Ferrer looms in the third round.

Soderling or Del Potro will likely advance to face the winner of the above mentioned match in the quarterfinals, while Gasquet and Wawrinka also linger. Look for Del P to continue his return towards the top ten as he showed us in Indian Wells that he is ready to resume his place near the pinnacle of the men's game. Following his semi-final performance last week he has shot up 39 spots in the rankings to his current spot of no. 51.

In the other quarter, Andy Murray will be hoping to awaken and display some skill for the first time since his straight-sets defeat against Djokovic in Melbourne back in January. The fifth ranked player in the world has failed to win a match since then. His recent inconsistencies should favor big-serving John Isner whom he could face in the third round.

Djokovic should not have to face any serious opposition until the quarter-finals so expect his eighteen game winning streak to make it to at least the big 2-0.

With the tour getting ready to switch to clay courts, enjoy this last big tournament on the pavement.

Around The Corner: Indian Wells Masters

By Mike McIntyre

It's time again for some meaningful tennis. No disrespect to the ATP World Tour level 250 and 500 tournament's, but the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells represents a return to top-level tennis with all the big names in attendance.

Rafael Nadal claims to be healthy again and the world number one is ready to perform. Defeated a year ago by Ivan Ljubicic in the semi-finals here, Nadal will hopefully be fit enough to play at 100%. After a first round bye he will potentially face a qualifier or Pere Riba from Spain. Either way Rafa should be off to a good start. His first major obstacle could be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round and that could be a real special match for tennis fans. The 17th ranked Tsonga is a top-ten player when he is healthy and could give Rafa a tremendous challenge. While he is only 1-5 against Nadal, Tsonga has beaten him on hard courts before and usually gives the Spaniard a good test. With a weaker quarter of the draw, look for the winner of this match to likely advance to the semi-finals.

Still in the top-half of the draw, don't expect defending champion Ivan Ljubicic to last long. Aside from battling some injury issues, the veteran Croatian has the unenviable task of facing Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round. Ljubicic has a first round bye, while Del P will very likely take care of fading veteran Radek Stepanek in his opening match.

The 2009 U.S. Open champion, Del Potro has been playing terrific in recent weeks. Finally recovered from a wrist injury that kept him off the ATP World Tour for the better part of 2010, Del Potro has rebounded nicely in 2011 with two semi-final appearances in a row in San Jose and Memphis followed by a victory at the event in Delray Beach against Janko Tipsarevic.

Del Potro, when healthy, is a top-five player who is capable of beating just about anyone when on his game. In a tennis world where Federer and Nadal have been less than perfect lately, here is a player who can really throw his name into the mix in competing for Grand Slams. Look for him to have a tournament where he truly announces his return to the upper-echelon of the men's game.

A Del Potro vs. Dolgopolov third round would be fun to watch, as would a potential fourth round battle between Del P and Sweden's Robin Soderling. I like one of these two players to advance to the finals in fact. I still feel like Soderling has yet to reach his potential.

In the last section of the top-half of the draw we have Andy Murray. What to make of the world's fifth ranked player? He has a comfortable lead over sixth ranked David Ferrer in the rankings but what has he done for us lately? He has only played in two events through more than two months of the year and his results were total opposites. He was playing fantastically at the Australian Open before he advanced to the finals and then tanked in three sets to Novak Djokovic. Murray then proceeded to lose in the first round in Rotterdam in early February to Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets. Since then Murray has been absent from the tennis court and that in itself makes me wonder what else is going on with the talented Scot. Perhaps his third straight-sets loss in a Slam final has taken a mental toll on him? His performance here in Indian Wells and then in Miami will go a long way towards determining what direction Murray is headed.

The bottom-half of the draw meanwhile seems to have many more meaningful matches on deck. Second seeded Roger Federer could face Kei Nishikori in the second round and then rising-star Milos Raonic in the fourth round. A Federer vs. Raonic match would be an electric test of old versus the new.

Tomas Berdych has been sleep-walking through this year so far and could face Marin Cilic or Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round. Honestly, I don't see Berdych ever living up to his so-called potential despite his semi-final results at the French Open and making the finals of Wimbledon in 2010. There are several more mentally strong players on tour with just about as much physical talent as he has that I would bank on.

On the other side of the bottom-half draw we have aging American vet Andy Roddick and soon to be second ranked Novak Djokovic. Both should advance to the quarter-finals although Roddick's path is less certain. James Blake, John Isner and Richard Gasquet all stand in Roddick's way.

Djokovic meanwhile shouldn't face too much opposition with the lights-out way he has been playing. Veteran Lleyton Hewitt and fellow-Serb Viktor Troicki linger in his section but neither is anywhere near matching his level of performance.

I like a Djokovic vs. Federer semi-final in this section of the draw to go along with Nadal and Del Potro in the top half. Who emerges is anyone's guess but any way you slice it tennis fans worldwide are going to enjoy the next week and a half of tennis in California.

Milos Raonic Soaking Up The Headlines

Understandbly, Milos Raonic is soaking up most of the tennis headlines today in the aftermath of his maiden ATP World Tour title on Sunday in San Jose at the SAP Open.

Here are a few of the better articles out there for those looking to get their Milos-fix.

And for any Seinfeld fans out there - Another Game For Milos!

Enjoy!

Announcing The Arrival of Raonic by Mike Cvitkovic

Raonic Has Endured A Whirlwind Journey... by Stephanie Myles

A Modest But Tangible Confidence by Steve Tignor

Milos Breaks Out by Jon Wertheim

Milos Raonic Wins First ATP Title in San Jose

By Mike McIntyre

Hello Canada and welcome back to the world of professional tennis.

Twenty year old Milos Raonic who resides in Thornhill, Ontario, won his first ever ATP World Tour title at the SAP Open in San Jose on Sunday against the ninth ranked player in the world, Fernando Verdasco. Fittingly, he won the event in a hockey arena that normally houses the NHL's San Jose Sharks.

"It's nice to know a hockey arena isn't new to me," Raonic said after the win. "I've been in a few of these. This feels like home."

A total unknown up until a month ago in all parts of the world except perhaps certain tennis circles in Canada and in Spain where he trained during the off-season, Raonic has now shot up the rankings from 150th in the world to a top-60 position he should assume when the new rankings are released this week.

Armed with a huge serve, a strong sense of timing at the net and the ability to surprise many with his deft ground-strokes, Raonic is the biggest young talent to emerge on the tour since Rafael Nadal in 2003. Nadal won the ATP's newcomer of the year award that year as he rose from 203rd in the world to 48th by the year's end. While Nadal was a couple of years younger at the time, I'm hard-pressed to remember any other player who has so quickly captivated the tennis community.

With his 7-6(6), 7-6(5) victory over Verdasco, Raonic has literally served notice that he is for real. He becomes the first male Canadian singles player to win a tournament on tour since Greg Rusedski sixteen years ago.

That comparison might make Canadian tennis fans a tad nervous as Rusedski jumped-ship in 1995 to the United Kingdom. While himself born in Canada, Rusedski's mother was born overseas. For his part, Raonic was born in Montenegro and moved to Canada at the age of three with his parents.

Similar to Rusedski, Raonic is becoming known for his rocket serve. In an exhibition contest just a couple of days ago he out-served Croatian monster Ivo Karlovic in a serving competition held on court after they completed their match. Karlovic stands a ridiculous 6'10'' and has been for several years considered the hardest serving player on tour. While Karlovic struggled to get almost any of his ten serves over 140mph, Raonic routinely eclipsed that mark and even clocked one at 151mph that just missed the service box.

Raonic will be hoping that his career unfolds more closely to that of his idol Pete Sampras, a 14 time Grand Slam champion, than that of Karlovic who is thought viewed as more of a circus act on the circuit.

Milos has already attained several meaningful results in his short time as a professional player. Last summer he and partner Vasek Pospisil defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in a first round doubles match at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. At the time Nadal and Djokovic were ranked one and two in the world in the singles rankings.

Raonic followed that up with a tough match against Nadal in singles play in Japan where the Spaniard won 6-4, 6-4. A respectable score no-doubt considering the nearly 200 ranking points that separated them at the time.

Off season training with coach and former professional Galo Blanco during the off-season clearly paid-off for Raonic. There he got plenty of practice with Spanish players like David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro - both top-twenty regulars.

Raonic started 2011 by narrowly missing the chance to qualify in Chennai, India but then had his break-out moment at the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia. He battled through three rounds of qualifying action before advancing all the way to the final sixteen players in the field. After knocking off top-ten player Mikhail Youzhny in the third round he was defeated by Ferrer in four sets.

Now with his first tournament victory under his belt and barely any ranking points to defend from a year ago, the potential for Raonic seems limitless.

On the official ATP World Tour website, Raonic lists his goal as becoming a, "consistent top-fifty player with top-ten aspirations." If he continues his development at this pace, look for him to far surpass these now seemingly modest targets.

While Raonic now moves on to another tournament in Memphis, many will already begin talking about how a player of his size and abilities will fare when he gets to the largest tennis stage at Wimbledon later this year. Canadian tennis fans will  be hoping it is not merely a coincidence that the young man they call the Maple Leaf Missile grew up dreaming of becoming the next Pistol Pete.