Could Raonic become the next dominant player?

[frinton]

First of all, I am not a big fan of his.
But the the way he played so far during AO16 made me think. His very calm, concentrated and no ******** aura combined with his big serve that is fallowed up by big groundies and excellent net play... All these things make me think, that he could be the guy who finally makes a step ahead and manages to lead the way to a new "generation". He is tall, moves rather well despite being a giant. He can put a lot of pressure on any player from the baseline. But he can also mix it up, attack, play big-game and be successful with it, because of his height and power.
He might be the one putting an end to the base-line only tennis and other players might follow the lead!
So Raonic, the No. 1 in tennis, the multi slam champion? Maybe this is the start of a new era? Who knows!
Or maybe Murray just grinds him out of the AO16 and that's the end of this thread!
But I am happy to read your opinions for or against what I said. I might be all wrong, but at least we could have a discussion that does not involve "who is goat" and Nadal better than Federer better than Djokovic better than Murray better than Borg...and start again in all directions!
Do you think Raonic has what it takes to dominate, to S&V everybody into the ground and to bring tennis into a new era, where power baselining, that is so much in fashion today will be considered "yesterday's tennis"?

 

[Gut Check]

Do you think Raonic has what it takes to dominate, to S&V everybody into the ground and to bring tennis into a new era, where power baselining, that is so much in fashion today will be considered "yesterday's tennis"?

No, but I do think he'll go through a few stretches in various top 5 spots over the next few years, being a threat to just about anyone when he's on a good day, and hopefully pick up a slam before he declines.

 

[1st Seed]

At least the man is doing what he HAS to do to improve.
Other tour pros are happy going out there doing the same thing everyday not trying to improve
.Milos has a winner mentality.Thats his biggest weapon.fixing whats wrong.oh YEAH and an unreturnable serve,that helps

 

[metsman]

no...but hopefully this is a sign that he will consistently live up to his expectations as a guy who should be consistently making QF/SF of majors and challenge the top guys.

 

[falstaff78]

No

Return game

If he wins this AO he'd have the worst return game through 5 rounds in the last dozen years. Probably longer but I didn't check. Can't make a career winning tiebreaks.

 

[nowhereman]

Most likely not. It's a bit too late for him and he doesn't really have the game to dominate imo. Might win a couple of slams though.

 

[BVSlam]

The only one of the 'lost generation' who is actually making clear progress. Nevertheless, I don't think he can ever be all-rounded enough to be dominant. His build will limit the possibilities of his movement. He is one of those guys who can reach a high top level and might be mentally strong in pressure moments, but his game is not built around all-court consistency and will be exposed too often to dominate.

 

[Gut Check]

If he wins this AO he'd have the worst return game through 5 rounds in the last dozen years. Probably longer but I didn't check. Can't make a career winning tiebreaks.

Wait, what? So far in 2016 only 4 of his 23 sets won have been TBs i.e. he broke at least once to win the other 19 of 23 sets won.

Also worth noting that his 2016 TB record is 4-1. Sets won are sets won, TB or not.

 

[BGod]

No, but he'll win a Slam or two by default based on competition.

 

[Gary Duane]

Do you think Raonic has what it takes to dominate, to S&V everybody into the ground and to bring tennis into a new era, where power baselining, that is so much in fashion today will be considered "yesterday's tennis"?

Maybe:

But he has to stay very healthy. At best he might be a modern day Stan Smith.

In 2015 he was at 94% winning service games but only 12% winning return games. So that's 106 (divide by 2). That's around 53%. No one gets to the top winning at the percentage. Wawrinka sometimes comes close year-round but goes up amazingly in slams sometimes.

But right now he is shown as 98/17. That 98 is going to fall, but perhaps not too much. If he levels off on HCs at about 95% - possible - and gets to 25% of return games, he'll be at 60%, and that's potential slam numbers.

Everyone is breaking through more slowly and aging more slowly. We don't know when he will peak. He may start to peak NOW.

 

[WhiskeyEE]

Without injuries, he would've been the 4th best player last year. He's still probably #4 imo. He's good on all surfaces and way more consistent than Stan.

 

[roger presley]

No.

 

[tacou]

I don't think so, but I mostly agree with OP.
I am not much of a Milos fan, but not only has achieved a nice result at a major, he's done it playing aggressive tennis and with a steady mentality.
I respect it big time and think he'll eventually come through for 1-2 majors in his career.
Unless he becomes Ferrer/Nadal-like 150% energy&effort player, I don't think his other abilities will translate to any periods of significant dominance.
But if he maxes out his talent, as he's suggesting he might able to now, I see him as a contender of the future.

 

[Dolgopolov85]

Could? Yeah, possibly, has the necessary 'ingredients'. Will he? I don't know. Age is on his side though. He couldn't have succeeded with this approach in say 2011-12 when conditions were slower and the Big Four all not far off their prime. There remains Nole. Even at the cost of Murray losing out (and he's had his shots at beating Nole at AO, let's face it), a Nole-Raonic final could be compelling. Their two clay encounters - surprisingly - were hard fought. Didn't do so well last year at the Aussie but Nole is not (yet) playing at 2015 AO level while Raonic is better than last year.

 

[90's Clay]

Maybe if Murray/Nole/Federer take a big time dump in the next 2 seasons but if they stay around, Raonic would have to stick on and hope for the best until they are gone and I can't see that happening. He just isn't well rounded enough to go through 7 rounds and win a slam (with the top guys still there), much less dominate

 

[toddrobert38]

I think he's looking at a lot of QF and SF appearances at Slams, but until something clicks in him I don't see him pulling a Wawrinka and going all the way

 

[PeterHo]

He can a few slams but be dominant? No.

 

[PeteD]

He's getting better. The match with Murray could be the match of this tourney.

 

[Shaolin]

He'll win a slam or two but his body will probably deteriorate quickly like all of the other lanky 6'5 type guys.

 

[skip1969]

don't know or care if he'll "dominate". but you know what . . . i've really enjoyed watching him play these two weeks at the aussie. maybe it's because no one plays like him anymore? maybe it's because he seems so under control and all business? i mean, i doubt he'll ever have the style of johnny mac or edberg at the net. but honestly, it's just nice to see someone up there not looking totally out of place.

 

[wy2sl0]

Margins too small since his ground game is not elite. Hopefully bag a few slams and not be Berdych, but it remains to be seen.
He has the ability to win multiple slams but not dominate imo.

 

[Gary Duane]

He'll win a slam or two but his body will probably deteriorate quickly like all of the other lanky 6'5 type guys.

6'5" is only an inch taller than 6'4".

And there have been quite a few amazing players who were 6'4".

People keep comparing Milos to Karlovic and Isner. That's a big logical mistake.

When Monfils and Raonic shook hands I saw that Raonic was barely taller than Monfils.

Expecting injuries from taller players is illogical. Most tennis players struggle with injuries. Hewitt, Delpo, Nadal, so many others - what do they have in common besides unfortunate genetics?

 

[dgold44]

Yes !!!

He has the total game

 

[natalia]

DelPo was waaaaaaay better and won a slam (with a fair dose of predictions about his imminent domination) - where is he today??....

 

[Defcon]

He doesn't have the talent, there's nothing special that 10 other guys don't possess.

 

[junior74]

Dominant hair.

 

[Nathaniel_Near]

No.

 

[frinton]

Maybe if Murray/Nole/Federer take a big time dump in the next 2 seasons but if they stay around, Raonic would have to stick on and hope for the best until they are gone and I can't see that happening. He just isn't well rounded enough to go through 7 rounds and win a slam (with the top guys still there), much less dominate

Hmmm, Djokovic also took a while to become well rounded and complete, the dominant monster he is today! Well let's see if Milos gets past Murray and if what he can do in the final. Djokovic looked pretty scary out there for 2 sets!

To all the 'No'-sayers: Do you see anybody else?

 

[syc23]

I'd be surprised if he doesn't win Wimbledon at least once.

As long as Nole/Murray stays healthy in the next 4/5 years, it'll be difficult for Milos to become the dominant player. Zverev, Coric and Kyrgios will also provide some pretty stiff competition for the Canadian in the next 5-10 years.

 

[mattosgrant]

I think he will win a slam. Maybe more than one. I don't see dominance. Who knows though, tennis is ever changing. At the end of last year I wouldn't have predicted him to ever win a slam, and I am already changing that prediction.

I think the next dominant player will be someone born 1996 or later personally.

 

[dunlop_fort_knox]

no. I think murray wins the semi and everyone will say how milos was so great just getting there.

 

[-Bobo-]

It depends, for the first time this year i've seen him have that confidence you need to become a dominant player. He has played well in clutch situations, and even in this australian open when i expected him to crumble in the 5th against Wawrinka, he did not. Same thing in the Brisbane final.

The biggest issue is i think Murray matches up well with him in terms of being good at flatly pushing in returns and this is the surface he's done the most consistently well on, so will be hard to get the +1 on his FH for Raonic. On the other hand, Raonic is returning a bit better and if he pressures Murray's second serve i see him taking it.

I was asked who i thought would win, and after seeing him play in Brisbane i said Djok was favourite and Raonic my dark horse 2nd choice. Will see how it goes.

 

[PaulFCB]

Let's not kid ourselves, Raonic .

Look at the WTA, so many women stars marketed as super players, but when Serena comes, she sweeps the floor with them with a bagel, lol.

One hit wonder, Raonic will be 30+ when someone like Djokovic will retire, an age where the average player is thinking of retiring to his ocean side cabin.

 

[TennisHound]

Raonic will only win against Djok if Djokovic and his camp allow it. And I doubt they will.

 

[President]

I think he will just have too many matches that are extremely tight because of his weakness on return. Has any dominant player ever been as poor on the return as he is? Djokovic is so dominant now because he is absolutely lethal in 100% of the points and games that are played in a tennis match. Raonic will most likely never be better than an average returner (and right now he is still well below average for a top 20 player), and as a result will be a lot more susceptible to upsets than the types of players who have been strong world #1's. He only has a strong advantage in 50% of the games played in a tennis match, although it is a huge advantage indeed. I could see him being the best of his generation (because Kei is so flaky in big matches and Dimitrov's future looks very tough to predict at the moment) and maybe #1, though not a dominant #1 by the standards of the last 10-15 years, for a short period of time between the fall of the Djokovic/Murray generation and the rise of the players who are between 17 and 20 years old right now. At the rate Djokovic is going though, I almost find it hard to believe he will ever be an inferior player to Raonic. He isn't actually that much older than him and is MUCH better.

 

[TennisHound]

... Djokovic is so dominant now because he is absolutely lethal in 100% of the points and games that are played in a tennis match... At the rate Djokovic is going though, ...hard to believe he will ever be an inferior player ...

 

[President]

What are you trying to say?

 

[TennisHound]

What are you trying to say?

We know Djokovic will win everything and no one will beat him for at least the next 2-3 years, probably 4 (only if he allows them to have a smaller tournament. And only if its Fed maybe). Its just funny how excited some of his fans get over him.

 

[PHS_10]

Yawn, nothing but a servebot. Not even remotely impressed by his style of play.. Watch Murray take him to the cleaners.

 

[metsman]

6'5" is only an inch taller than 6'4".

And there have been quite a few amazing players who were 6'4".

People keep comparing Milos to Karlovic and Isner. That's a big logical mistake.

When Monfils and Raonic shook hands I saw that Raonic was barely taller than Monfils.

Expecting injuries from taller players is illogical. Most tennis players struggle with injuries. Hewitt, Delpo, Nadal, so many others - what do they have in common besides unfortunate genetics?

It has nothing to do with height, it has to do with Raonic is a garbage mover and returner. You can't even put him in the same sentence as the likes of other 6'4" 6'5" guys who won slams like Stich, Safin, Scud all of whom returned, moved, and volleyed far better than he did (at their best). Krajiceck too. Or even Cilic and DelPotro who are taller than him, for that matter. He's not like Karlovic or Isner but he's not like those guys either. Not even close.

Raonic AT BEST is a Todd Martin level player and that's if he maximizes his potential. Better serve but worse return. But in this era he will somehow win multiple slams once Djoker declines if that's even possible.

 

[Gary Duane]

It has nothing to do with height, it has to do with Raonic is a garbage mover and returner. You can't even put him in the same sentence as the likes of other 6'4" 6'5" guys who won slams like Stich, Safin, Scud all of whom returned, moved, and volleyed far better than he did (at their best). Krajiceck too. Or even Cilic and DelPotro who are taller than him, for that matter. He's not like Karlovic or Isner but he's not like those guys either. Not even close.

Raonic AT BEST is a Todd Martin level player and that's if he maximizes his potential. Better serve but worse return. But in this era he will somehow win multiple slams once Djoker declines if that's even possible.

In the last few weeks I have seen something better than garbage from Raonic. Will that continue? Don't know. As I said, if he continues to win 20% or more of his return games he is going to be dangerous. If return games drop back to around 15%, then he won't win much.

Time will tell. And a huge amount is always about health, not getting a lot of injuries.

I was no fan of Todd Martin.

 

[metsman]

In the last few weeks I have seen something better than garbage from Raonic. Will that continue? Don't know. As I said, if he continues to win 20% or more of his return games he is going to be dangerous. If return games drop back to around 15%, then he won't win much.

Time will tell. And a huge amount is always about health, not getting a lot of injuries.

I was no fan of Todd Martin.

Neither was I, and I am not a fan of Raonic either so it fits! I don't like how they play, martin was kind of bland for a serve and volleyer but still better volleyer than Raonic. But by all accounts both are really nice guys though so I have nothing against them personally. Martin was a class act.

 

[President]

We know Djokovic will win everything and no one will beat him for at least the next 2-3 years, probably 4 (only if he allows them to have a smaller tournament. And only if its Fed maybe). Its just funny how excited some of his fans get over him.

I am really not a fan of him at all.

 

[Mac33]

If you can get him into extended rallies his UE count goes through the roof.

He likes to finish points very quickly.

On a good day he can whack his forehand with consistency. Most days if you can return a few of his shots....he starts missing.

Murray to win in straight sets......then again I did tip Fed to beat Djokovic in straight sets!

 

[Gary Duane]

Neither was I, and I am not a fan of Raonic either so it fits! I don't like how they play, martin was kind of bland for a serve and volleyer but still better volleyer than Raonic. But by all accounts both are really nice guys though so I have nothing against them personally. Martin was a class act.

I think that those of us who love SnV are hungry for someone to continue that style of play.

Raonic reminds me in many ways of Stan Smith. I never much liked Smith, but for a couple years he gave us a kind of contrast to other players who were more "pushers".

 

[abmk]

It has nothing to do with height, it has to do with Raonic is a garbage mover and returner. You can't even put him in the same sentence as the likes of other 6'4" 6'5" guys who won slams like Stich, Safin, Scud all of whom returned, moved, and volleyed far better than he did (at their best). Krajiceck too. Or even Cilic and DelPotro who are taller than him, for that matter. He's not like Karlovic or Isner but he's not like those guys either. Not even close.

Raonic AT BEST is a Todd Martin level player and that's if he maximizes his potential. Better serve but worse return. But in this era he will somehow win multiple slams once Djoker declines if that's even possible.

but point is
a)Raonic has the serve that Todd Martin did not
b) he's mentally much better

 

[70後]

Jelena Gencic was saying to Djokovic in their interview a few years back, I think after 2011 Wim. Service Volley, she said. She seemed to very firmly believe it will come back. Djokovic was something like : I'm trying to do it more. I think combination is best.

But I sense what I am seeing from Raonic lately is a prototype of neo serve volley, maybe 0 to n shots in between. The way Raonic plays it he mixes it up, he may serve volley, he may serve + fh + fh volley. It still is serve volley, but more complex now, secret is also having a very strong ground game.

found it :

2:35

 

[thomasferrett]

I think he's got chances to dominate, but as a hater of old-school S&V tennis I really am not looking forwards to it.

That game-style where you're just utterly carried by your serve is as boring as watching paint dry, imo. But I'm someone who even finds Federer's new ultra-aggressive style somewhat boring.

Give me epic baseline rallies over that that and day of the week.

 

[robbo1970]

I'm going to say no.

Too reliant on a big serve and shifting so wildly to his left to play an inside-out forehand, his game style is too predictable.

He seems cumbersome as well and at 25 years old, his court speed is unlikely to get any quicker than it is now.

He is going to the net more these days, but I think that is to avoid leaving too big a gap down his forehand side of the court and having to use his weak backhand too often. That said, he's not exactly the greatest at the net.

I think he will always cause opponents problems, but I can't seem him ever being 'the man to beat'.

 

[frinton]

Let's not kid ourselves, Raonic .

Look at the WTA, so many women stars marketed as super players, but when Serena comes, she sweeps the floor with them with a bagel, lol.

No floor sweeping today though for big S.

Back on topic: So Raonic managed to give Murray a bit of a headache there it seems and it's a pity that the match outcome was not on healthy terms (looks like the tennis gods wanted to prove the poster(s) right who said that Milos is too easily injured). I haven't seen the match though. If you have, would Raonic have made it through?
And another question: do you think the improvement shown by Milos this January:
a) are they to a large degree the result of Moya's good work? Or just a lucky coincidence!
b) will Milos keep it up and stay on that improved level, maybe even improve more?
Discuss!