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Raonic earned his first title of the year in San Jose, defeating [[Tommy Haas]] in the final for his third consecutive title at the event. At the [[2013 French Open – Men's Singles|French Open]] he lost in the third round to [[Kevin Anderson (tennis)|Kevin Anderson]]. At [[2013 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles|Wimbledon]] he lost in the second round to [[Igor Sijsling]].
Raonic earned his first title of the year in San Jose, defeating [[Tommy Haas]] in the final for his third consecutive title at the event. At the [[2013 French Open – Men's Singles|French Open]] he lost in the third round to [[Kevin Anderson (tennis)|Kevin Anderson]]. At [[2013 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles|Wimbledon]] he lost in the second round to [[Igor Sijsling]].


Raonic reached his first Masters 1000 series final in Montreal, beating former US Open champion [[Juan Martin Del Potro]] and compatriot [[Vasek Popsisil]] en route to a clash with either Rafael Nadal. Raonic's run also ensures he will enter the world's top ten for the first time in his career on August 12.
Raonic reached his first Masters 1000 series final in Montreal, beating former US Open champion [[Juan Martin Del Potro]] and compatriot [[Vasek Popsisil]] en route to a clash with Rafael Nadal. Raonic's run also ensures he will enter the world's top ten for the first time in his career on August 12.


===Davis Cup===
===Davis Cup===

Revision as of 03:19, 11 August 2013

Miloš Raonić
Milos Raonic at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
Country (sports) Canada[1]
ResidenceMonte Carlo, Monaco[1]
Born (1990-12-27) December 27, 1990 (age 33)
Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Turned pro2008
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachIvan Ljubičić
Prize money$2,685,277
Singles
Career record101–58 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 13 (November 5, 2012)
Current rankingNo. 13 (July 22, 2013)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open4R (2011, 2013)
French Open3R (2012, 2013)
Wimbledon2R (2011, 2012, 2013)
US Open4R (2012)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games2R (2012)
Doubles
Career record17–18 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 103 (June 10, 2013)
Current rankingNo. 109 (July 22, 2013)
Team competitions
Davis CupSF (2013)
Last updated on: July 8, 2013.

Milos Raonic (/ˈmiːloʊʃ ˈraʊnɪtʃ/ MEE-lohsh ROW-nich;:[2][3] (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić [mîloʃ râonitɕ]; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player of Montenegrin origin who resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco.[1][4]

Born in Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, Montenegro), Raonic moved to Canada with his family at the age of three,[4] learning the game at the Bramalea Tennis Club in Brampton.[5] He is Canada's highest ATP ranked male singles player since computer rankings began in 1973, with a current career-high ranking of World No. 13.[6] He qualified for his first Grand Slam event at the 2010 U.S. Open. In 2011 he rose from World No. 102 to No. 37 in a month, after he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and won his first ATP title at the 2011 SAP Open. Raonic, who prefers to play on hard courts,[7] plays an all-court game. From late 2010 until May 2013, he was coached by former Spanish pro player Galo Blanco in Barcelona. Currently he is coached by Ivan Ljubičić.

Statistically, his serve is one of the strongest on the tour. In 2012, he served more aces per match and won a higher percentage of service games than any other player.

Junior tennis career

Raonic's first ITF-sanctioned junior tennis event was the qualifying draw for the Canadian ITF Group 4 Championships in October 2003, where he lost in the first round to fellow Canadian Kirill Sinitsyn, 6–7, 3–6. His next junior circuit action was a year later at the Canadian ITF Championships 1 event, where he lost in the first round of the main draw 4–6, 4–6 to compatriot Peter Marrack. In doubles at the same event he and partner Sheharyar Wali, also Canadian, reached the second round.

He won his first ITF tournament singles match in October 2005, defeating compatriot Tony Dang in three sets before falling in the round of 16 to American Christopher Racz. In doubles, he and compatriot Mohammed Niaki reached the semi-finals. Two weeks later, at the Canadian ITF Grade 3 Championships, Raonic reached his first final, where he and partner Sinitsyn lost to Marrack and Peter Polansky. In singles, he lost again to Marrack in the first round.

In April 2006, Raonic reached the later rounds in a singles event, defeating Marrack in straight sets in the quarter-finals at the 24th All-Canadian ITF Junior Championships before losing to Julien Gauthier in the semis. After reaching the second round in singles of the Canadian Junior Open (Grade 1) in August, he then won the 2006 U18 ITF World Ranking Event (Grade 4) in early October, defeating Gauthier in the final 6–4, 6–0. He also captured the doubles title partnering compatriot John Taylor.

Raonic reached the third round in singles at a Grade 1 junior event in November–December 2006, the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships. Two weeks later he lost the singles final of the Grade 4 Prince Cup and won the doubles. In 2007 he lost early in the Grade 2 and Grade 1 junior events he entered. Raonic did however reach the finals of the Grade 3 US Junior International Hard Court Championships in August and won both the Grade 3 2007 U18 ITF World Ranking Event and Grade 4 U18 ITF World Ranking Event 2 in October on home soil. He also won the doubles at these events, partnering compatriot Nathaniel Gery for both. In doubles, he also lost in the final of the Pan American Closed ITF Championships (Group B1) in early October, partnering American Waylon Chin.

In December 2007, Raonic qualified for the prestigious Orange Bowl Tennis Championships, a Grade A event. He went on to reach the third round where he lost to American Chase Buchanan 4–6 in the third. Raonic began 2008 with a bang in juniors, winning the Grade 1 Nottinghill ITF event doubles event, partnering American Bradley Klahn. He and Klahn the following week reached the second round of the Australian Open before winning the Grade 1 USTA International Spring Championships in March–April. At the USTA International Spring, Raonic reached the quarter-finals for the first time in singles at a Grade 1 event, losing to Klahn in straight sets.

Junior Grand Slam results - Singles:

Australian Open: 1R (2008)
French Open: 1R (2008)
Wimbledon: 2R (2008)
US Open: –

Junior Grand Slam results - Doubles:

Australian Open: 2R (2008)
French Open: SF (2008)
Wimbledon: 2R (2008)
US Open: –

Professional tennis career

2007

Raonic was given wild cards into three Tennis Canada and Banque Nationale sponsored ITF Futures events in March, held indoors in the Province of Quebec. At Hull he won his first ever singles match played, over World No. 687 Fabrice Martin 7–5, 2–6, 6–4. He lost in the next round to World No. 661 Patrick Schmolzer 3–6, 3–6. The following week he lost in the first round to No. 2 seed John Paul Frattero 6–7, 3–6. In doubles, at both events, Raonic partnered fellow junior Vasek Pospisil and lost in the first round. Then in Rock Forest he again reached the second round, going out to No. 1 seed, Davis Cup teammate, hometown favourite and future coach Fred Niemeyer. He and Niemeyer played doubles in Sherbrooke too and reached the semi-finals.

2008

Raonic was again a wild card entrant in singles in the Banque Nationale Futures events in Quebec in March, faring far better this time. At Canada F1 in Gatineau, he and partner Milan Pokrajac, unseeded, won the doubles title, while in singles he lost to World No. 457 Michael Yani in the quarter-finals in three sets. The following week in Montreal Raonic and Pokrajac finished doubles runners-up and in singles Raonic went out in the second round. Then in Canada F3 in Sherbrooke, Raonic reached his first tour finals in singles, winning four three-set matches to do so. In the final he lost 5–7, 6–7 to unseeded Italian Enrico Iannuzzi . In doubles, he and Pokrajac lost in the first round.

In late April, Raonic next competed in an ITF tour event, defeating compatriot Kirill Sinitsyn 6–2, 6–0 to qualify (as the No. 5 seed) for the main draw in singles at U.S.A. F9 in Vero Beach on outdoor clay. In the main draw he lost however in the first round to fellow qualifier American Marcus Fugate 1–6, 4–6. Raonic was a direct entrant into the main doubles draw, but he and partner Adam El Mihdawy lost in the first round. The following week at U.S.A. F10 in Orange Park, Florida, Raonic lost in the third round of singles qualifying despite being the No. 3 seed. He did not compete in any tour events next until July.

In July, Raonic, as a wild-card entrant, lost in the first round in singles of back-to-back Canadian held Challenger events, Granby and Moncton. In doubles he and partner Vasek Pospisil reached the second round at Granby but lost in the first in Moncton. The following week he received a wild card in qualifying for the 2008 Rogers Cup and lost in the first round to World No. 203 Alexander Kudryavtsev 3–6, 4–6.

The next tour action Raonic saw was in October in Japan. In Kashiwa at Japan F10 he lost in the first round to fellow unseeded player Hiroki Kondo 4–6, 2–6. In doubles he and partner Tadayuki Longhi reached the second round. The following week at Japan F11 in Tokyo, Raonic upset No. 2 seed Tatsuma Ito in three sets before falling to Thailand Davis Cupper Peerakiat Siriluethaiwattana in the second round. He did not play doubles.

Raonic competed his 2008 tour play as a wild card entrant in the Rimouski Challenger, where he lost in the first round to José de Armas after taking the first set. In doubles however, he and partner Vasek Pospisil teamed to capture their first Challenger title. The wild cards defeated the No. 2 seeds in the semis and the No. 3 seeded team of Kristian Pless and Michael Ryderstedt in the final 5–7, 6–4, 10–6. Raonic finished 2008 World No. 915 in singles and No. 513 in doubles. Following the 2008 season Raonic turned down an offer from the University of Virginia and turned pro signing on with the SFX agency.[8]

2009

Raonic began his year in mid-January attempting to qualify in singles for U.S.A. F1 in Boca Raton, Florida, losing in three sets in the qualifying round as the No. 13 seed. He qualified the following week for the main draw at U.S.A. F2 as the No. 12 seed, but lost in the first round of the main draw. Qualifying for singles allowed him to enter the doubles draw as a wild card—he and partner Kevin Botti reached the second round.

The next week at U.S.A. F3 in Plantation, Florida, Raonic again lost in singles in the qualifying round, this time as the No. 9 seed. After a week off, he qualified for Croatia F1, as the No. 11 seed. He then knocked off World No. 293 and No. 7 seed Jan Mertl, World No. 425 Ivaylo Traykov, and No. 606 Denis Matsukevich before falling to No. 8 seed Louk Sorensen in the semi-finals. In doubles he and compatriot Erik Chvojka, the No. 3 seeds, reached the second round. The following week the Canadian doubles duo reached the finals of Croatia F2; in singles, Roanic again qualified for the main draw and then reached the quarter-finals.

After a couple weeks off, Raonic captured his first tour singles title, Canada F2 in Montreal.[9] Receiving a wild card from Tennis Canada to play in the main draw, Raonic faced no seeded players and two qualifiers—he defeated World No. 594 Gregoire Burquier in the final 6–3, 6–4. In doubles, he and Vasek Pospisil, the top seeds, reached the second round. The team then did one better the following week at Canada F3 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, reaching the semi-finals, again as the top seeds. In singles, Milos lost to Vasek in the quarter-finals in three close sets.

Two weeks later Raonic again qualified for the main draw at a Futures event, this time as the No. 4 seed at U.S.A. F7, and reached the quarter-finals. He and partner Philip Bester, as the No. 3 seeds, captured the doubles title, defeating the No. 1 seeds in the final, Lester Cook and Treat Conrad Huey. The following week in Little Rock, Arkansas, Milos qualified for the main draw as the No. 2 seed, but lost in the first round. He did not play doubles.

Raonic's next action was in June at Slovenia F2. For the first time he received a spot in the main draw of a singles tournament based solely on this ranking. He lost however in the first round, to No. 1 seed Pavol Červenák 4–6, 2–6. In doubles, he and partner Aljaz Bedene lost in the second round. The following week at Slovenia F3 Milos again lost in the first round, this time to No. 3 seed Denis Molchanov . He and Molchanov teamed to win the doubles title however, the fourth tour doubles title of Raonic's career. The next week, Raonic reached the quarter-finals of Italy F15, on clay in Padova, while in doubles he and partner Marc Fornell-Mestrs reached the second round. He completed his European swing losing in the first round of Italy F16 in singles while reaching the semis in doubles, partnering with Stefano Valenti.

After two weeks off, Raonic resumed play at U.S.A. F16 in Pittsburgh, on clay. The No. 7 seed, he was upset in the second round by Rhyne Williams. In doubles he and partner Pospisil, the top seeds, lost in the semi-finals. The following week in Peoria, Illinois, the No. 6 seed Raonic reached the quarter-finals where he was upset by the unseeded Pospisil. He and Vasek captured the doubles title however, winning their final three matches handily. After a week off, Raonic once again received a wild card into the main draw of the Granby Challenger. He played World No. 262 to a first-set tie-break loss before succumbing in the second set 1–6. In doubles, he and Pospisil lost in a second-round tie-break to the No. 2 seeds Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski.

The following week Raonic was given a wild card into singles qualifying for the 2009 Rogers Cup, where he began by beating World No. 77 Teymuraz Gabashvili in three sets following up with a straight sets win over World No. 113 Michaël Llodra in the qualifying round.[10] In the main draw, he lost to World No. 10 Fernando González in three sets. Raonic finished the match having served and returned better on first serves than his opponent, and having won more points in the match, 112 to 107.[11] In the week following this result, he lost to Kittipong Wachiramanowong in three sets in the final of Thailand F1 and, with partner Nikolaus Moser, won the doubles title. Then playing just singles in the next two weeks, he won the title for Thailand F2 and reached the semis of Thailand F3 (l/Jamie Baker).

Raonic spent the autumn of 2009 playing on the American Challenger circuit, but with less success than he had in summer. He finished 2009 ranked World No. 373 in singles and No. 425 in doubles.

2010

Raonic started the 2010 season with new coach, former teammate Frédéric Niemeyer.[4] Raonic reached the semi-finals of three of his first five ITF Futures events in doubles, Great Britain F1, F2, partnering with Uladzimir Ignatik, and France F2 playing with Romain Jouan. He also won his doubles Davis Cup tie playing against Colombia with World No. 1 Daniel Nestor.[12] He lost, however, both of his singles rubbers in Bogotá.

In mid-April Raonic captured the Korea F2 singles title as the top seed, defeating No. 3 Hiroki Kondo in the final 6–1, 6–1. He did so without losing a set and by winning his first match without conceding a game, over World No. 668 Min-Hyoek Cho. In May he captured his second title in three weeks, dropping just one set in taking Korea F4. The following week he lost to No. 8 seed Tatsuma Ito in the first round of the 2010 Busan Open Challenger Tennis tournament. Despite the loss he saw his singles ranking reach a career high for the second time in two weeks, at World No. 303. Raonic reached a new career high singles ranking in late June, rising to World No. 276.

In July Raonic reached the singles finals of the 2010 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby before falling to No. 1 seed Tobias Kamke 3–6, 6–7. This result saw Raonic's ranking go to yet another new career best World No. 209. The following week Raonic received a special exemption to appear in the main draw of the 2010 Odlum Brown Vancouver Open where he has lost to No. 7 seed Robert Kendrick in the first round 6–7, 4–6. Granted a wild card into the singles main draw of the 2010 Rogers Cup, Raonic lost in the first round to Victor Hănescu 4–6, 4–6. In doubles he and partner Vasek Pospisil had the privilege of playing against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and winning 10–8 in the tie-break. It was first time that the World Nos. 1 and 2 had played together in a tour doubles match since Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe did so in 1976. Raonic and Pospisil lost in the second round, however.

Raonic at the 2010 US Open

Raonic qualified for the U.S. Open but lost his main draw first round match to Australia No. 3 and wild card entrant Carsten Ball. Two weekends later in the Davis cup, versus the Dominican Republic, Raonic won his singles match 9–7 in the fifth set over Víctor Estrella, as Canada won the tie 5–0 to stay in the Americas Zone Group 1 for 2011.

After a week off, Milos qualified for the 2010 Proton Malaysian Open. He reached quarterfinals before losing to Igor Andreev. One week later, Raonic qualified for the 2010 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championship. He lost to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the second round.[13] Raonic competed well against Nadal, returning better on first serve in fact (winning 20% of points to Nadal's 14) while serving well on first serve (getting 67% of his first serves in play, winning 86% of those points). He had more chances to break point but experience and poise won out for the veteran as Nadal converted both of his only two break points and Raonic, none of his five.

The next two weeks playing in Asia, Tennis Canada hired Galo Blanco, who had worked with fellow Canadian player Steven Diez in Spain, on a two-week trial basis.[14] (Niemeyer wished to step down and he and Blanco co-coached during this period.) Unseeded, Milos reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 Tashkent Challenger. After defeating No. 2 seed and Indian No. 1 Somdev Devvarman in the second round in straight sets, he was forced to retire with a sore shoulder trailing No. 5 seed Karol Beck. After a couple of weeks off, with Blanco now in charge, Raonic lost in the first round of qualifying for the 500 Series 2010 Valencia Open 500, to No. 2 seed Pablo Cuevas. It was turned out to be the last tour action he had for the year. Instead, he turned his attention to a six-week off-season training regiment in Barcelona, under the guidance of Blanco and trainer Tony Estalella, one that Blanco later described, during the 2011 Australian Open, as "amazing."[14]

Raonic ended 2010 ranked World No. 156 in singles and No. 349 in doubles.

2011

Raonic started 2011 playing qualifying matches for the 2011 Aircel Chennai Open where he lost in the qualifying round against Édouard Roger-Vasselin. Next, he qualified for the 2011 Australian Open. He won his first round match against German Björn Phau in three sets, his first victory in a main draw Grand Slam match.[15] In the second round he defeated No. 22 seed Michaël Llodra of France, again in three sets, becoming the first Canadian man in 10 years to reach the third round of a singles Grand Slam.[16] He then knocked out the Russian World No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny in four sets to reach the fourth round, the first qualifier to make the 4th round of a Grand Slam since 1999.[17] Playing his next match at the Hisense Arena, he fell to World No. 7 David Ferrer after he lost the last three sets, despite winning the first.[18]

Raonic serving at the 2011 Australian Open

Despite the loss, Raonic received rave reviews for his performance at the Australian Open, such as when John McEnroe referred to Raonic as "the real deal" on Twitter,[19] or the BBC's reference to Raonic as part of "a new generation".[20] Martina Navratilova referred to Raonic as "a new star" saying that "the sky is the limit" for the young tennis player,[21] and the Sydney Morning Herald referred to Raonic as a "future superstar".[22]

Two weeks later, Raonic began play at the SAP Open tournament. After upsetting No. 4 seed Xavier Malisse in the first round in two sets, he then beat James Blake, again in two sets.[23] After beating Ričardas Berankis in the quarterfinal match 6–4, 7–6, he reached ATP tournament semifinals for the first time in his career. Raonic advanced to his first final of an ATP tournament when the No. 2 seed Gaël Monfils defaulted in the semifinals citing a wrist injury.[24] In the final, Milos beat 1st seeded Fernando Verdasco 7–6, 7–6, winning his first ATP title, and became the first Canadian player to win an ATP singles tournament since Greg Rusedski in 1995 (before Rusedski started representing Great Britain).[25]

Raonic received a wild card into the main singles draw of the following week's 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Interestingly, he opened against Fernando Verdasco, the player he had just faced two days earlier, and prevailed again, this time in three sets. Milos next defeated Radek Štěpánek also in three sets, serving a career-high 38 aces in the process.[26] After defeating qualifier Robert Kendrick in the quarter-finals, again losing the second set before prevailing, Raonic continued his unbeaten run, defeating No. 4 seed Mardy Fish in the semis, once again despite dropping the second set. He lost a closely contested final, however, to No. 1 seed and two-time Memphis champion Andy Roddick 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, with Roddick making a diving forehand to win break point, on his fifth championship point for the match.[27] Raonic's performance in this tournament elevated him to yet another career high ranking of World No. 37, making him the highest-ranked Canadian male singles player in ATP Rankings history.[28]

Raonic won both his singles Davis Cup rubbers against Mexico on clay as well as the doubles tie together with Vasek Pospisil to advance Canada to the second round.[29]

He was given a wild card berth for the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament main draw,[30] where he lost to Ryan Harrison in the third round after wins over Marsel İlhan and Mardy Fish in the first two rounds.

Raonic started the clay court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament by winning over Michaël Llodra and Ernests Gulbis before falling to 4th seed and eventual finalist David Ferrer in the third round.[31] After the tournament, Raonic rose to a new career-high ranking of 28, his first time in the top 30. It was also his 7th week in the top 50. He reached third round at the 2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and advanced to the semifinals at the 2011 Estoril Open (5th seeded there, he disposed of Igor Andreev in the first round, of João Sousa in the second round, and upset Gilles Simon in the quarterfinal before retiring due to a back injury against Fernando Verdasco 4–6 0–0). At the French Open he lost in the first round to Michael Berrer of Germany.

On grass courts, Raonic's reached quarterfinals at the 2011 Gerry Weber Open by taking out both Pablo Andújar and Tobias Kamke in straight sets before losing to Philipp Petzschner in three. In doubles with partner Robin Hasse, he reached his first ATP World Tour doubles final. The pair lost to Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (the nicknamed "Indo-Pak Express") 9–11 in the deciding tie-break. At Wimbledon 31st seeded Milos advanced to the second round after disposing of Marc Gicquel. However in his second round match against Gilles Muller, Raonic had to retire after winning 3 games in the first set due to injury.

Tennis Canada announced that Raonic underwent hip surgery. Raonic returned to action following the US Open, where he was defeated by Israel's Amir Weintraub in Canada's Davis Cup matchup. He reached the semifinals at 2011 If Stockholm Open (lost to Gaël Monfils).

On November 17, 2011, Raonic played an exhibition match against Pete Sampras, and won the match 7–6, 6–1. Sampras's serve approached 200 km/h throughout the night, whereas Raonic regularly topped that mark and reached speeds up to 222 km/h.[54]

2012

Milos Raonic serving at the 2012 Davis Cup in Vancouver.

On January 8, he won his second ATP title at the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open in Chennai, India, defeating Janko Tipsarević in the final, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–4). Raonic did not drop serve during the tournament, becoming the first player to do so since Roger Federer at the 2008 Gerry Weber Open. Later in January, Raonic advanced to the third round of the 2012 Australian Open, disposing of Filippo Volandri of Italy and Philipp Petzschner of Germany. He was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(5–7), 3–6, in 3 hours 6 minutes, after going to deuce (5) for the match point.

On February 19 in San Jose, California, Raonic won his third ATP title and second SAP Open in a row, defeating Denis Istomin, 7–6(7–3), 6–2.[32]

The following week in Memphis, Raonic reached the final of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships for the second straight year, losing to Jürgen Melzer, 5–7, 6–7(4–7).[32]

Milos Raonic in the third round against Federer at the BNP Paribas

In Indian Wells, Raonic reached the third round, before losing to eventual title winner Roger Federer in three sets, 7–6(7–4), 2–6, 4–6. He was one of only two opponents who forced Federer to a third set in this tournament.

In April, Raonic participated at Monte-Carlo Masters, but lost in the first round to Albert Montañés in three sets, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6. He reached the semifinals at the 2012 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell by defeating world no.4 Andy Murray in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

Raonic reached the third round of the French Open, losing to Juan Mónaco, 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 4–6.[33]

He made a second-round exit at Wimbledon, after being defeated by Sam Querrey.

Being the home favorite, he reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Rogers Cup, defeating Viktor Troicki in the second round and getting a walkover to the quarterfinals after Andy Murray withdrew because of a knee injury. He lost to John Isner, 6–7(9–11), 4–6, in the quarterfinals. Because of his quarterfinal run, he reached a career-high ranking of no. 19, which put him into the world's top 20 for the first time.

At the US Open, Raonic was seeded 15th, but lost in the fourth round to eventual champion Andy Murray, after defeating James Blake in three sets, 6–3, 6–0, 7–6(7–3).[34] Raonic was the first Canadian male to reach the fourth round of the US Open since Martin Laurendeau in 1988.

At the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Raonic made his third ATP World Tour 500 final. In the first round, he defeated Czech Radek Štěpánek, 6–4, 6–4. Viktor Troicki was up next, but had to retire at 0–3. In the quarterfinals, Raonic had a Chennai finals rematch with Janko Tipsarević. Saving match point, Raonic won 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 7–6(9–7). Raonic faced Andy Murray in the semifinals and won, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–4). He saved two match points courtesy of double faults at 5–6 30–40 and 5–6, advantage Murray. In the third-set tiebreak, Raonic earned three match points and double-faulted his first one, but converted his second. Including a walkover apiece, Raonic went 3-2 against World No.2 Murray in 2012. He lost in the final 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 0–6 to Japan's Kei Nishikori.

Raonic finished the year at a career high ranking of 13 in singles and 203 in doubles. He was circuit's No.1 in average number of aces served per match (15.4), points won on 1st serve (82%) and games won on his serve (93%).

2013

Raonic at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

Milos played his first tournament of the year in Brisbane, where he bowed out to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round after a first-round bye. He reached the fourth round of the 2013 Australian Open, falling to semifinalist and world no.2 Roger Federer.

Raonic earned his first title of the year in San Jose, defeating Tommy Haas in the final for his third consecutive title at the event. At the French Open he lost in the third round to Kevin Anderson. At Wimbledon he lost in the second round to Igor Sijsling.

Raonic reached his first Masters 1000 series final in Montreal, beating former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and compatriot Vasek Popsisil en route to a clash with Rafael Nadal. Raonic's run also ensures he will enter the world's top ten for the first time in his career on August 12.

Davis Cup

In the first round of the 2013 Davis Cup, Raonic won both of his rubbers against Albert Ramos and Guillermo García-López to propel Canada to a win over 2012 finalist, Spain. In the second round Canada was matched up against Italy and Raonic was able to win both of his matches to get Canada into a historic semi finals as the Canadians have never made it to the semi finals in the Davis Cup before.

Olympic Games tennis records

On July 31, 2012, Raonic broke two Olympic Games tennis records in the second round at London 2012 by playing both the longest match at 66 games over three sets (beating the previous record of 61 games achieved during the five-set doubles final in Seoul in 1988), as well as the longest Olympic Games set ever played (beating the previous record by 18 games set in Athens in 2004).

Raonic eventually lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 23–25, in the third and final set, after splitting the first two sets, 3–6, 6–3.[35]

Three days later, Roger Federer defeated Juan Martín del Potro, 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 19–17, in a semifinal match that lasted four hours and 26 minutes, half an hour longer than the Raonic-Tsonga match, to set a new record for the longest Olympic singles match by time; the final set took two hours and 43 minutes.[36]

Equipment

Raonic endorses the Wilson BLX Blade 98 and he uses LUXILON M2 Pro 1.25 16L Strings. He endorsed Lacoste clothing until 2012. He is currently wearing New Balance clothing and shoes, and also wears SAP AG on his sleeve.[37]

Career statistics

Main article: Milos Raonic career statistics

Grand Slam performance timeline

This table is current through the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open A 4R 3R 4R 0 / 3 8–3 73%
French Open A 1R 3R 3R 0 / 3 4–3 57%
Wimbledon A 2R 2R 2R 0 / 3 3–3 50%
US Open 1R A 4R 0 / 2 3–2 60%
Win–Loss 0–1 4–3 8–4 6–3 0 / 11 18–11 62%

Awards

2011 – ATP Newcomer of the Year
2011 - Tennis Canada male player of the year[38]
2012 - Tennis Canada male player of the year[39]

Commentating

Raonic worked for Rogers Sportsnet as an analyst for their broadcast of the 2011 Rogers Cup.[40]

Personal

Raonic moved together with his family to Canada at the age of three from Titograd, Yugoslavia.[4] Raonic started playing tennis at the age of eight at the Blackmore Tennis club in Richmond Hill, Ontario with coach, Casey Curtis.[41]

Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, Raonic stated that Canada is mostly an ice hockey (as opposed to tennis) country. He says he chose tennis because of its "individuality and [because he] felt [he] could train more alone and on a ball machine with [his] dad".[42] His brother Momir, and sister Jelena, have moved back to Montenegro, and Raonic says he visits his family there often.[4]

Raonic's uncle Branimir Gvozdenović is a former Minister of Urbanism and Environmental Protection in the Government of Montenegro, where he also acted as vice-prime minister.[17][43] His parents live in Canada and are both engineers, his father Dušan holds a PhD in engineering, and his mother Vesna has a masters degree in the same field, while his sister also has a masters degree.[4] Raonic is fluent in Serbian and English.[1] His four favourite sports teams are FC Barcelona, the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Maple Leafs.[1][44]

In an interview after his third-round win at the 2011 Australian Open, he was questioned about whether he would follow in the footsteps of Greg Rusedski, the last great Canadian tennis player who ended up playing for his second nationality in Great Britain. When asked if he would continue to play for Canada, he replied, "Yes".[4] Raonic has shown a passion for Canada and the game of tennis in the country. This was displayed in an October, 2010 interview in which he said of the matter, "I want to make a singles career, I enjoy it more and I want to make a difference in Canada with it. I feel if I were to achieve my goals it could make a great difference to the growth of tennis in Canada and help to produce more top players in the future."[45]

Currently, he has taken up residence in Monte Carlo in a 50 m2 apartment close to where fellow tennis players Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki live.[46]

In 2012, Raonic launched a charity, Milos Raonic Foundation, which aims to help children needing prosthetic limbs to play sports.[47]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Milos Raonic ATP Profile". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 2011–01–22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Video accessed via the SAP Open's official website. Retrieved February 22, 2011". Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  3. ^ from Stephanie Myles 2 years ago not yet rated (2011-02-11). "Retrieved February 22, 2011". Vimeo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "AO: Milos Raonic Third-Round Press Conference". Tennis Connected. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ "Canadian tennis sensation". Brampton Guardian. Brampton ON. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2013. A native of Montenegro, Raonic moved to Canada when he was three, living in Brampton and taking lessons at the Bramalea Tennis Club.
  6. ^ "Tennis - ATP World Tour - Tennis Players – Milos Raonic". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  7. ^ Eric Duhatschek. "Raonic through to fourth round at Indian Wells with victory over Cilic". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  8. ^ "Canadian teens take aim at the pros". Montreal Gazette. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 2011–01–23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ "Raonic wins Montreal Futures event". The Gazette. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  10. ^ "The Milos Raonic Story (Part 2)". Montreal Gazette. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  11. ^ "ATP World Tour.com". ATP World Tour.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  12. ^ "Canada keeps Davis Cup hopes alive". Sportsnet. 6 March 2010. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ "2–0 (Sets) Nadal Beats Raonic". TennisEarth.com. Retrieved 2011–01–25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ a b Stephanie Myles. "Raonic's rapid rise took years to engineer". Postmedia News. Retrieved 2011–02–22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  15. ^ "Canada's Raonic Pleased with Results Down Under". TSN. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  16. ^ "Canadian Raonic pulls Aussie Open upset". CBC. January 19, 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  17. ^ a b "Canadian Raonic stuns Youzhny at Aussie Open". CBC Sports. January 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ "Raonic's improbable run ends at Australian Open". CBC. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Mark Zwolinski (22 January 2011). "Raonic family cheers for 'the real deal' from afar". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ Henson, Mike (19 January 2011). "Australian Open day four as it happened". BBC. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ "Australian Observations". Tennis Prose. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. ^ Martin Blake (25 January 2011). "Departing Raonic gives crowds one hell of a serve". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2011–01–25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. ^ "Raonic powers past Blake at SAP Open". CBC News. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 2011–02–10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ "Canada's Raonic advances to SAP Open final after Monfils forced to withdraw". Canadian Press. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 2011–02–12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  25. ^ "Canada's Raonic wins 1st ATP title". CBC Sports. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  26. ^ "Rising star Raonic hammers 38 aces to advance". AsiaOne News. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  27. ^ Kelli DeMario (21 February 2011). "Roddick wins 30th career title in Memphis". Tennistalk. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  28. ^ Andrew Wallace (22 February 2011). "Milos Raonic becomes top-ranked Canadian men's singles player ever". Toronto Life. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  29. ^ "Raonic clinches Canadian Davis Cup victory". National Post. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  30. ^ "Canadian phenom has spot in BNP Paribas Open". The Desert Sun. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Text "head" ignored (help)
  31. ^ "Raonic learns about clay in loss to Ferrer at Monte Carlo". Toronto. The Canadian Press. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  32. ^ a b "Milos Raonic rides big serve to SAP Open title". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  33. ^ "Milos Raonic". Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  34. ^ "Canadian Milos Raonic advances to U.S. Open fourth round". Retrieved Sep 02 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  35. ^ "Tsonga beats Raonic in longest ever Olympics tennis match". Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  36. ^ Kevin Mitchell (August 3, 2012). "Roger Federer beats Juan Martín del Potro to reach Olympic final". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  37. ^ "Milos Raonic's Equipment, Gear, and Accessories". Tennis Express. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  38. ^ "Tennis Canada RAONIC NAMED 2012 TENNIS CANADA MALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR". Tenniscanada.com. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  39. ^ Canada (2012-12-12). "Milos Raonic repeats as Tennis Canada's male player of the year". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  40. ^ "Raonic joins Sportsnet for Rogers Cup". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  41. ^ Morgan, Campbell (21 January 2011). "Serving up Aces: Milos Ranoic's explosive serve". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2011–01–21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  42. ^ Nick Fishpool (18 May 2010). "ITF Pro Circuits meets... Milos Raonic". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 2011–01–23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  43. ^ Mark Zwolinski (22 January 2011). "Thornhill's Raonic piling up aces and upsets in Melbourne". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2011–01–23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  44. ^ Stephanie Myles (14 February 2011). "Canada's Raonic wins first ATP title". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  45. ^ Nima Naderi (14 October 2010). "Q&A With Milos Raonic". TennisConnected.com. Retrieved 2011–01–24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  46. ^ Stephanie Myles (31 May 2012). "Milos Raonic has come a long way". National Post. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  47. ^ Daniel Girard (8 September 2012). "Canada's Milos Raonic out to avenge 2011 loss in exhibition against Andy Roddick". thestar.com. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
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Awards
Preceded by ATP Newcomer of the Year
2011 		Succeeded by

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