Raonic has top 5 potential

chrischris

G.O.A.T.
well done and deserved Milos!

good to see him stay much closer to the baseline when returning and also getting much more mass behind the reurn. that was what really stood out very clear at the US Open nad he has now corrected that:)
 
Congrats Milos! Hope he takes the title, but Nishikori has been on a serious roll in this tournament so he'll be a tough opponent.
 

ruerooo

Legend
Congrats Milos! Hope he takes the title, but Nishikori has been on a serious roll in this tournament so he'll be a tough opponent.

I was hoping you'd drop in to see how well your boy was doing!

I don't know if you saw the match last night, but he dug in and did great.
:)
 

pound cat

G.O.A.T.
A Raonic win v. Kei would make Raonic #10 in the rankings and give him an outside chance of being in the Barclay finals.

GO MILOS
 

dcdoorknob

Hall of Fame
A Raonic win v. Kei would make Raonic #10 in the rankings and give him an outside chance of being in the Barclay finals.

GO MILOS

Well I think he'd still be #12 in the rankings, but he would be #10 in the race, and somewhere around 200 points behind Tipsarevic at #9. With Nadal unlikely to play it looks like #9 will qualify, so Raonic would certainly be in with a chance.
 
Well I think he'd still be #12 in the rankings, but he would be #10 in the race, and somewhere around 200 points behind Tipsarevic at #9. With Nadal unlikely to play it looks like #9 will qualify, so Raonic would certainly be in with a chance.

Don't forget, Del Potro has been having some very ominous niggling wrist ailments as of late; he might not even be there at the WTF either. So given that, there's an even greater chance that milos, if he wins Japan, will be able to sneak himself into the top 8 race to the WTF.

I'm actually pretty caught off guard by this, did anyone really think Raonic out of all people would actually have a serious shot at playing in the WTF at the beginning of the year? I sure as hell didn't.
 

kaku

Professional
Don't forget, Del Potro has been having some very ominous niggling wrist ailments as of late; he might not even be there at the WTF either. So given that, there's an even greater chance that milos, if he wins Japan, will be able to sneak himself into the top 8 race to the WTF.

I'm actually pretty caught off guard by this, did anyone really think Raonic out of all people would actually have a serious shot at playing in the WTF at the beginning of the year? I sure as hell didn't.

TBH I don't think the year he has had really screams WTF material. He hasn't done great at the slams this year, and hasn't made too many deep runs at the Masters. His year is more along the lines of "Great Year, just outside of the qualification range"
 

Smasher08

Legend
TBH I don't think the year he has had really screams WTF material.

His point totals -- and especially his potential during the indoor hardcourt season -- suggests otherwise.

While he isn't a lock, if he keeps on beating top 10 players he'll deserve to be there.
 

Netspirit

Hall of Fame
Wasn't he just bageled by Nishikori of all people? Are you guys still sure he belongs to top 5?
 
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Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
Are there really more than 4 that are better than him at this point or that could become better than him in the future? Correct me if I'm wrong but of all guys born after 1990 he's the better ranked one, by far. Nishikori and Tomic are way behind

guess Nishikori isn't way behind after this week.
 

chrischris

G.O.A.T.
Wasn't he just bageled by Nishikori of all people? Are you guys still sure he belongs to top 5?

Wasny he in a grueling semi while Kei had a smooth ride that same day?
Are you not aware of what that can do on the body the day after in the 3rd and deciding set?


Milos can be a top 10er imo.
Needs to keep working on the movement( especially to the net) and physical aspect of his game and the return position needs to stay close to or inside the baseline.
 

pound cat

G.O.A.T.
He neds to stop beating one of the top players in the world the day before the final. That felt like the final but it wasn't, Milos! He has to psych himself up for the real final and that's hard to do after psyching himself up for the Murray match.
 

RAFA2005RG

Banned
Ferrer, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro will occupy the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th positions for a long time. Also even though he's not that young I think Isner has more potential than Raonic.
 

Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
EST livescore:
Tuesday (09 October)
03:30 Raonic - Matosevic (ATP Shanghai)

Tough 6 matches non-stop.
Let's see how many he can take.
 
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Brian11785

Hall of Fame
Ferrer, Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro will occupy the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th positions for a long time. Also even though he's not that young I think Isner has more potential than Raonic.

How many more years do you think aging Federer and Ferrer, or injury-laden Tsonga will be playing?!

And the Isner comment.....Raonic is better than Isner in just about every way other than mentally tough (I'd chalk that up to inexperience.) Better second serve, better groundstrokes, better movement, better hands. Love the guy, but I'd like to read your defense of Isner's superiority.
 

RAFA2005RG

Banned
How many more years do you think aging Federer and Ferrer, or injury-laden Tsonga will be playing?!

And the Isner comment.....Raonic is better than Isner in just about every way other than mentally tough (I'd chalk that up to inexperience.) Better second serve, better groundstrokes, better movement, better hands. Love the guy, but I'd like to read your defense of Isner's superiority.

They will be playing several more years at the top 5-8 level, and Ferrer is only getting better. Tsonga is also improving. Berdych is improving. And Federer will be top 5 for the next 5 years if he wants to continue. Murray will be there for many more years. Rafa will be there for as long as he wants because clay will always get him enough points no matter how old. The only top 8 player that might slip far is Del Potro. You said it in your post, Raonic is mental midget. Isner is not. That's the key to success.
 
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Brian11785

Hall of Fame
They will be playing several more years at the top 5-8 level, and Ferrer is only getting better. Tsonga is also improving. Berdych is improving. And Federer will be top 5 for the next 5 years if he wants to continue. Murray will be there for many more years. Rafa will be there for as long as he wants because clay will always get him enough points no matter how old. The only top 8 player that might slip far is Del Potro. You said it in your post, Raonic is mental midget. Isner is not. That's the key to success.

So you think Ferrer and Federer will still be playing four years from now, when Raonic is 25? And Rafa will only be there for as long as his body allows him to be; he probably wouldn't ever retire if it were all about his mind's wants.

Raonic is not so strong mentally now, but he (to quote you) "is improving." His groundstrokes and fitness/movement have gotten stronger over the past 18 months. Who knows where he will max out....because he hasn't yet.

Isner, on the other hand, seems to be pretty content with his own game. Don't see much improvement there.
 

CDNguy87

Hall of Fame
They will be playing several more years at the top 5-8 level, and Ferrer is only getting better. Tsonga is also improving. Berdych is improving. And Federer will be top 5 for the next 5 years if he wants to continue. Murray will be there for many more years. Rafa will be there for as long as he wants because clay will always get him enough points no matter how old. The only top 8 player that might slip far is Del Potro. You said it in your post, Raonic is mental midget. Isner is not. That's the key to success.


This post is ridiculous on so many levels. I don't want to waste my time on this, but among things you've vastly under-estimated the impact aging, getting worn down, and gaining experience will have in the long-run on various players. Federer and Ferrer are in their early 30s....they will experience noticable declines over the next 2-3 years (how much is debatable, but I guarantee their forms in 2015 will be worse than what they currently are). Of course, Federer's been gradually declining over the past 5 years so this really should be common sense. Tsonga and Berdych are both 27...they may be able to keep up their current levels for a few more years, but both have very little upside at this point in their careers. As they near 30, they're far more likely to decline somewhat by 2014-2015 than to improve from their current level. Nadal is 26, but he's had a long career and his long-term health is obviously a huge concern.

Djokovic, Murray, and Delpo are the safest bets to keep winning or contending for Slams over the next 3-4 years. However, with Milos being only 21 and improving quite rapidly, he could quite conceivably find his way to the Top 5 over the next 2-3 years as he builds experience and those aforementioned players start declining or remain stagnant. Nobody's saying it's a guarantee, but to deny he has the potential to do it is ludicrous at this point.
 
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lambros

Rookie
This post is ridiculous on so many levels. I don't want to waste my time on this, but among things you've vastly under-estimated the impact aging, getting worn down, and gaining experience will have in the long-run on various players. Federer and Ferrer are in their early 30s....they will experience noticable declines over the next 2-3 years (how much is debatable, but I guarantee their forms in 2015 will be worse than what they currently are). Of course, Federer's been gradually declining over the past 5 years so this really should be common sense. Tsonga and Berdych are both 27...they may be able to keep up their current levels for a few more years, but both have very little upside at this point in their careers. As they near 30, they're far more likely to decline somewhat by 2014-2015 than to improve from their current level. Nadal is 26, but he's had a long career and his long-term health is obviously a huge concern.

Djokovic, Murray, and Delpo are the safest bets to keep winning or contending for Slams over the next 3-4 years. However, with Milos being only 21 and improving quite rapidly, he could quite conceivably find his way to the Top 5 over the next 2-3 years as he builds experience and those aforementioned players start declining or remain stagnant. Nobody's saying it's a guarantee, but to deny he has the potential to do it is ludicrous at this point.

I agree with you 100%.
 

RAFA2005RG

Banned
So you think Ferrer and Federer will still be playing four years from now, when Raonic is 25? And Rafa will only be there for as long as his body allows him to be; he probably wouldn't ever retire if it were all about his mind's wants.

Raonic is not so strong mentally now, but he (to quote you) "is improving." His groundstrokes and fitness/movement have gotten stronger over the past 18 months. Who knows where he will max out....because he hasn't yet.

Isner, on the other hand, seems to be pretty content with his own game. Don't see much improvement there.

Federer will DEFINITELY be still top 5 in 5 years (assuming he doesn't retire from boredom). And Ferrer? Let's talk when he declines. He's on the uprise right now. A long way from falling. And when Raonic is 25, he better be in better shape than Del Potro. Del Potro has way more talent than Raonic, and look where he is.....struggling to hang in the top 8. And will Raonic ever possess the MIND to win a slam? Del Potro has the mind. Berdych doesn't. Tsonga doesn't. Most don't. Don't bet on the fragile Raonic.

Raonic isn't improving this year. Look at his slam results HORRIBLE. Isner is content? Gee, your statement is FULL of credibility....lol. Raonic is content too then, according to the crap he produces at each slam. He's content with winning best-of-3-setters (which he isn't even doing a great job of as we saw yesterday).
 
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Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
Tomorrow:

Union Pay Court 3 Start 2:00 pm

Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
v
[12] Milos Raonic (CAN)

I don't think this is going to be on streams, not being center court.
 

Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
it's taxing to be in a 500 final: both Raonic and Nishikori lost today in 3 sets

I'd play next week in Europe.
 
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pound cat

G.O.A.T.
it's taxing to be in a 500 final: both Raonic and Nishikori lost today in 3 sets

I'd play next week in Europe.

Time to forget doubles and have a bit of a rest from tennis. And get a haircut.

The Bag/raonic match couldn't have been closer though.


Well, they won the match...will they stay around for match #2?
 
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RAFA2005RG

Banned
Very hard to improve returning if you aren't good at it. Look at Tsonga, awful returner, always has been. Raonic is even worse than Tsonga at returning, and nowhere near as good as Tsonga in the baseline rallies and net-game.
 

Brian11785

Hall of Fame
Very hard to improve returning if you aren't good at it. Look at Tsonga, awful returner, always has been. Raonic is even worse than Tsonga at returning, and nowhere near as good as Tsonga in the baseline rallies and net-game.

This is the most illogical thing I've ever read. Bravo!
 

RAFA2005RG

Banned
This is the most illogical thing I've ever read. Bravo!

It's a fact that very few players improve their return games significantly. It's a gift, a natural ability. The good returners are good from the beginning. And if you are BAD, you don't become good. You are always going to be below average at it. And Raonic is as bad as it gets. Think of all the good returners on tour. Which of them were bad to begin with? None.
 

Brian11785

Hall of Fame
It's a fact that very few players improve their return games significantly. It's a gift, a natural ability. The good returners are good from the beginning. And if you are BAD, you don't become good. You are always going to be below average at it. And Raonic is as bad as it gets. Think of all the good returners on tour. Which of them were bad to begin with? None.

No one thinks Raonic is ever going to be a premier returner. But that doesn't mean that he can't improve. Especially if he is "as bad as it gets", there is room for improvement.
 

Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
Very hard to improve returning if you aren't good at it. Look at Tsonga, awful returner, always has been. Raonic is even worse than Tsonga at returning, and nowhere near as good as Tsonga in the baseline rallies and net-game.

He made improvements just in two weeks, by closing in and breaking Murray several times. This is just the beginning, now that he has the proper court position.
 

CDNguy87

Hall of Fame
Federer will DEFINITELY be still top 5 in 5 years (assuming he doesn't retire from boredom).


Ummm, no. I'm sorry, but there's absolutely no guarantee a 36-year old Federer will be in the Top 5 in 2017 even if he stays highly motivated. I'm not denying it's possible, but to say it's definite is idiotic. Even Agassi, who's pretty much the standard-bearer for longevity in the modern era, was out of the Top 5 by the year he turned 35. Agassi also had the advantage of having not played to his full potential in his prime, which almost certainly had a big role in him retaining an unusually high level into his 30s. Federer clearly won't have this on his side, as he'll have played high-level ATP tennis for about 17 consecutive years by that time. That takes its toll on the body. Though I still think he'll last longer in the Top 5 than Rafa.

And Ferrer? Let's talk when he declines. He's on the uprise right now. A long way from falling.


Hahaha...Ferrer on the uprise?! Ferrer has maintained a constant level over the past year, and while he deserves credit for that at his age, he will not be getting any better than his current form. Your logic seems to be: Ferrer hasn't declined yet. Therefore, he won't decline. Brilliant.

And will Raonic ever possess the MIND to win a slam? Del Potro has the mind. Berdych doesn't. Tsonga doesn't. Most don't. Don't bet on the fragile Raonic.

Again, this is the same type of poor logic you displayed above. Basically, Raonic hasn't yet shown he can win a Slam. Therefore, he probably won't win a Slam. You could have said the exact same thing about Murray 4 months ago.

Just because something hasn't yet happened doesn't mean it won't or can't.
 
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veroniquem

Bionic Poster
I'm not sure if Raonic will ever be top 5. It also depends on the level of the other top players but I'm pretty sure Fed won't be top 5 in 5 years. He'll be 36 in 5 years, let's be serious, please. The oldest player in the top 5 was Connors at 35 (and tennis- + ranking system- has changed a lot since the 80s...) Lendl dropped out of top 5 at about 31 and Agassi at 33.
 

1477aces

Hall of Fame
top 5 that's it. Is not clutch and can't make a first serve on break points, set points (especially) match points and big situations.
 

CDNguy87

Hall of Fame
He will be 22 in September. That's not really that young (for a Tennis player). At least not when they are just getting started.


Historically, you're right. But right now, the youngest player above him in the rankings is 24 (DelPo) while everyone else is 25+. So clearly he does have a lot of potential to improve his position over the next few years.
 

ruerooo

Legend
Give him a break. Both he and Kei got knocked out.
You go deep in one tournament, you're going to be tired for the next one.
 

chrischris

G.O.A.T.
Give him a break. Both he and Kei got knocked out.
You go deep in one tournament, you're going to be tired for the next one.

The very people never go far in tournies are the same that fail to see that happen at the ATP tour level as a result. they are the ones to think its 'bad'
 

pound cat

G.O.A.T.
And then there's always doubles. Still marching on with Melzer in Shanghai....du du Duh duh

next for MR and Melzer is Paes and Stepanek...that will ne interesting...
 
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kaku

Professional
Give him a break. Both he and Kei got knocked out.
You go deep in one tournament, you're going to be tired for the next one.

This will change as he gets older and his body adapts to the tour more. Top players dont get burned out winning 500s
 
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