Raonic or Tomic? Who will win most improved player of the year award?

[dudeski]

Raonic started the year ranked 156, currently ranked 29, should finish the year few places higher around # 25. So far this year he has won 1 title (ATP 250) and got to one final (ATP 500). Milos was out with an injury for 3 months including all of North America summer circuit. If not for that I believe he would have been easily top 20 by now since hard courts seem to be his best surface.

Tomic started year ranked 208, currently ranked at 44, should finish the year around #35 maybe even in top 30 if things go well next few weeks. His best achievement this year was of course Wimbledon Q where he took the King to 4 sets.

Tomic is around 20 months younger than Raonic.

Which one of those two rising stars will win ATP's most improved player award for this year?

 

[Tammo]

IMO they both deserve it alot. I think Raonic might get it because when he was injury free he was winning tons of matches. The 250 title should put him ahed a little.

 

[The Bawss]

Raonic won a title, and I expect that to make the difference.

 

[wy2sl0]

He just hit 38 winners and 13 unforced errors in his latest match...that is scary, Raonic FTW.

 

[Crazy man]

Raonic, but Djokovic should win the award lol.

 

[tennis_pro]

Raonic, but Djokovic should win the award lol.

+1

I don't think anyone even the biggest *********s saw it coming, if anything I thought Novak was going backwards...

 

[dudeski]

+1

I don't think anyone even the biggest *********s saw it coming, if anything I thought Novak was going backwards...

LOL I totally forgot about him I guess 3 slams, 5 masters and year end #1 ranking didn't impress me enough.

 

[Carsomyr]

Djokovic is certainly a valid candidate, especially considering how it seemed he was on the verge of exiting the top 3 at the end of 2010, and ending 2011 with one of the best seasons in tennis history. However, he was still a major champion prior to this season and spent the last four years solidly in the upper echelon; his improvements (fitness, consistency, etc.P), while certainly noticeable, were not as drastic as the improvements made by a guy such as Raonic (the favorite for the award), who has catapulted himself into a position as one of the most feared lower-seeded players in the game. Besides, Djokovic has already won the award twice - it would be pretty hard to justify a third when there's plenty of other more viable candidates.

While Tomic's rose more ranking places and has a major QF to his credit, Raonic will have won 30+ matches, a higher winning %, an ATP title, and an ATP 500 final. However, both deserve credit for showing the capability to compete with and defeat top 10 players.

Someone who shouldn't be overlooked for this award is Dolgopolov. While his rise wasn't as dramatic as Raonic's or Tomic's, he's still won a title, beaten top players, will win 40 or so matches, and, most impressively, is threatening to end the year in the top 10.

 

[Devilito]

Djokovic has always been the 3rd best player in the world and never had much issue with others apart from Nadal and Federer. So is this a matter of him improving that much more than the 2nd and 1st player or is it a matter of the 2nd and 1st players falling in playing level.

 

[woodrow1029]

I don't think it's any question who will win the award this year. I could be wrong, but I clearly think it will be Djokovic that wins the award this year.

 

[jokinla]

Raonic, came out of nowhere at the beginning of the year, won a tourney and went to the final of the next. Tomic played well at Wimby and won matches, but not quite as impressive as Raonic.

 

[christinamaniac7]

Milos for sure...

 

[autumn_leaf]

LOL I totally forgot about him I guess 3 slams, 5 masters and year end #1 ranking didn't impress me enough.

Same here lol. We were just framed into thinking these two were the only choices.

Djoker +1

edit: O, you're the OP, how dare you make us forget the Djoker existed!

 

[dudeski]

Same here lol. We were just framed into thinking these two were the only choices.

Djoker +1

edit: O, you're the OP, how dare you make us forget the Djoker existed!

At first I only thought about who improved in rankings the most but now that I think about it I wouldn't be surprised if Novak won. Having said that, last year it was Andrey Golubev who won and not Nadal. But then improvement of 2011 Novak 2.0 vs 2010 Weak Serve Novak and is bigger than the improvement of 2010 Weak Draws Nadal vs 2009 Tendinitis Nadal. So it's hard to say who will win this year. I think if Raonic has a strong rest of the season (say couple of top 10 wins) he will take it.

 

[Boricua]

Raonic is the most impressive considering his wins before the injury.

Tomic is also a good candidate, specially his improvement fom midyear till now.

Nole has improved but he was already good and Top 4 before this year

 

[Evan77]

Raonic. Go Canada.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Let's wait to the very end.

 

[stringertom]

If Tipsy had backed up the KL title with more Asian swing wins it could have been a four-horse race. Also, Fish merits consideration.

 

[angler]

It may happen that they meet this week at Stockholm semi and solve the puzzle, being on the same side of a draw.
Raonic is already in quarters (won Baghdatis & Petzschner) and is on Chela/Dimitrov while Tomic won Zopp and is to meet Monfils and (if advances) Anderson. Hard paths anyhow, but still, we might see them playing each other.
Possible clash with DelPo in final is denied by Blake (Blake - DelPo 6:4 6:4).

 

[tacou]

Milos, though most of his success came at the first half of the season, hope that doesn't effect voting

 

[NadalAgassi]

I would give the award to Djokovic along with Player of the Year. However Djokovic was the 3rd best player in the World for years, so I cant imagine him getting it, even if he deserves it.

 

[Crazy man]

^^^Djokovic in 2009 and 2010 was only making deep runs into events because of hilarious draws and was top 3 because everyone else........Well, other than Federer and Nadal, there was no one else; He was struggling to challenege the top elite players in the world up until summer 2010. He went from 0% confident, losing to anyone and everyone to suddenly raeping the tour to a degree only Federer has done.

 

[LetsGoRoddick]

Why not Kei Nishikori? Top 30 right now. Up pretty high from last year. Of course Djokovic has to be the most improved though.

 

[Devilito]

this is Raonic's first full year on tour and even then missed a large chunk of it due to injury. Arguably the worst timing as the surfaces he missed are theoretically his best. Had he not been injured it is possible Raonic would be closing in on a top 10 ranking right now with good finishes at Wimbledon, Canada and the US Open.