Raonic's level highest of his career

[Benben245]

It would appear starting last year that Raonic's physical abilities have advanced closer to his tennis IQ. His shot selection including variety on the forehand as well as ball placement in rallies is excellent. I used to say he couldn't even maintain a rally against an average top 100 player, that's how poor his baseline game was; but he has improved dramatically. Props to him maximizing his talent. The oaf cometh

 

[BGod]

Wawrinka in 4.

 

[Benben245]

Wawrinka in 4.

Im rooting for him, but still, do you see what I mean about raonic?

 

[Benben245]

Brilliant thread op.

 

[Benben245]

Brilliant thread op.

Oh stop it.

 

[Stilljonesing]

Looking like he could win the AO after waxing Zverev. He's had a terrible draw and sailed through it with little trouble.

drew Kyrgios in round 1 on home soil
drew Wrawinka in round 2
drew 4 seed Zverev in round 4

 

[TahoeTennis]

Can't win when it counts = everyone but fedalovic w only small wawa cilic and delpo blips

 

[beltsman]

Is this a joke? The guy is a complete and utter mug. He wouldn't be in the top 100 in the 90s.

 

[BGod]

Im rooting for him, but still, do you see what I mean about raonic?

I do now. I thought first 2 rounds were more circumstantial. Herbert was an upstart and he didn't blink.

I had $25 on Raonic over Zverev so not surprised there.

He should win the quarter then it's Novak. Hard sell but who knows. He played tight against him in Cincinnati last year and I saw that live so if he learned from that he's got a shot.

IF he beats Djokovic I think title is his.

 

[Alba Barragan]

I don't know if he used to be this good, but if he was I sure as hell don't remember it. He looks so sharp and focused out there, like a man with a purpose for everything. It's nice. I hope he can sustain this level and have a great result this AO. Can you imagine him upsetting everyone and winning the title? It sounds crazy but it would be so awesome and well deserved for someone with his talent and hard work

 

[Backspin1183]

Oh stop it.

No, I won't.

 

[Lew II]

Raonic and Nishikori at the moment are much, much better players than all the "next gen", "future gen", "super gen", etc.

They have a winning percentage of 78.9 and 77.4 in Grand Slams against anyone except the Big4. Big star Zverev is only at 65.8.

 

[aman92]

Djokovic will pummel him in the semi finals ... nothing to see here

 

[Indigo]

Djokovic - Nadal final is cemented according to what is left out of the draw. Should Nadal win and get to 18th, oh boy. 19th is on lock at RG. And then only miracle saves Fed's record. Should Novak win 15th, oh well, Novak run continues. Today it seems it's never about other players. Every GS is all about a player who will end up as the most decorated player in history.

 

[Benben245]

I'm no saying he is the favorite or the goat etc. Do you know that exercise where you jump up and touch your knees to your chest? I had the pleasure of training in the weight room during the citi open a couple years back and a trainer remarked to me that Raonic could not complete that exercise; as a professionally athlete he could not jump up and touch his knees to his chest. He has overcome a lot of physical limitations and his level right now, for him not compared to anyone else, is unprecedented.

 

[Flint]

I watched highlights of his match against Zerev and was impressed with his inside out forehand. He was getting a load of winners with it. He has also seen off Kyrgios and Wawrinka, which along with Zerev is an impressive list of casualties given it isn't even the QF yet.

He has also won a lot of tiebreaks, so he is holding up mentally when the pressure is on.

 

[Stilljonesing]

I watched highlights of his match against Zerev and was impressed with his inside out forehand. He was getting a load of winners with it. He has also seen off Kyrgios and Wawrinka, which along with Zerev is an impressive list of casualties given it isn't even the QF yet.

He has also won a lot of tiebreaks, so he is holding up mentally when the pressure is on.

He's had the most impressive tourny IMO. His draw was terrible. I thought that seeing his first two rounds.

 

[La Grande]

Raonic is playing phenomenal tennis. Net play, forehand, slice backhand and of course the serve.

Good for him, seems like he’s worked incredibly hard on his game the last 3-4 years.

The net play is especially impressive man. Hope he gets some credit.

 

[BGod]

Raonic is a clear #3 right now and personally I have him #2 behind only Novak. If he wins that match I give him the title.

Djokovic - Nadal final is cemented according to what is left out of the draw. Should Nadal win and get to 18th, oh boy. 19th is on lock at RG. And then only miracle saves Fed's record. Should Novak win 15th, oh well, Novak run continues. Today it seems it's never about other players. Every GS is all about a player who will end up as the most decorated player in history.

On the flip side, Novak wins AO & RG sitting at 16 and Nadal hopes to keep his slim lead.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Raonic is playing phenomenal tennis. Net play, forehand, slice backhand and of course the serve.

Good for him, seems like he’s worked incredibly hard on his game the last 3-4 years.

The net play is especially impressive man. Hope he gets some credit.

 

[Paulreedsmith]

Raonic doing his AO2016 thing. You can not NOT love it!

 

[Richie Rich]

his return of serve and his backhand seem to have improved immensely since even last year. he is pressuring opposing players on the return and not dumping easy rally balls into the bottom of the net like he has pretty much his whole career. he has played really well so far. hope he can get by Pouille but can't really see him beating Djokovic in the semis

 

[IowaGuy]

Against Zverev, he won almost as many points returning (40) as Zverev did serving (50) !?!

 

[swordtennis]

I think it is! His serve net play and bh are improved. It is very enjoyable. His screams are epic too. Pumped up!

 

[Nadalgaenger]

Raonic looked VERY strong against Zverev. He’s a man on a mission. I would not at all be shocked to see him upend Nole.

That said, is he still a heavy underdog? Absolutely!

 

[mental midget]

I think it is! His serve net play and bh are improved. It is very enjoyable. His screams are epic too. Pumped up!

it's pretty crazy...and of course there's a possibility novak shuts him down like 222 and we'll all be saying, what was i thinking...BUT man i give the guy a shot. the guy maximizes his advantages, minimizes what he can't do well and has made insane strides since he 'announced himself' w that verdasco match years back.

honestly i always thought he just simply didn't have the physique to be able to do what you need to do on a tennis court at the highest level...kind of this endomorphic bulky dude, but heck...he's doing ok out there. hats off to him.

 

[Otacon]

He also doesn't seek the ace systematically but the placement which enables him to have the upper hand in rallies from the get go either by taking the first shot on the FH or by coming to the net, thus his win % on 1st serve is even higher. He's become smarter in many aspects.

 

[IowaGuy]

He also doesn't seek the ace systematically but the placement which enables him to have the upper hand in rallies from the get go either by taking the first shot on the FH or by coming to the net, thus his win % on 1st serve is even higher. He's become smarter in many aspects.

Well, he is 3rd all-time in % service games won, behind only Isner and Karlo!

 

[Otacon]

Well, he is 3rd all-time in % service games won, behind only Isner and Karlo!

Absolutely, he's more lethal than ever.

 

[swordtennis]

it's pretty crazy...and of course there's a possibility novak shuts him down like 222 and we'll all be saying, what was i thinking...BUT man i give the guy a shot. the guy maximizes his advantages, minimizes what he can't do well and has made insane strides since he 'announced himself' w that verdasco match years back.

honestly i always thought he just simply didn't have the physique to be able to do what you need to do on a tennis court at the highest level...kind of this endomorphic bulky dude, but heck...he's doing ok out there. hats off to him.

Well stated! He troubled djokovic in that cincy match and he is playing better now. If they get to each other it will be a war! Hope they do. Great clash of styles!

 

[smoledman]

Raomug actually has a chance to make the final as Djoker looks very vulnerable right now. Would love a Raonic/Tsitsipas final, a nice contrast in styles.

 

[smoledman]

He also doesn't seek the ace systematically but the placement which enables him to have the upper hand in rallies from the get go either by taking the first shot on the FH or by coming to the net, thus his win % on 1st serve is even higher. He's become smarter in many aspects.

Nobody ever said he wasn't smart, but that he never developed a good backhand is baffling.

 

[MeatTornado]

He also doesn't seek the ace systematically but the placement which enables him to have the upper hand in rallies from the get go either by taking the first shot on the FH or by coming to the net, thus his win % on 1st serve is even higher. He's become smarter in many aspects.

And lucky for him, he still got a million aces off Zverev yesterday on balls that were a foot inside the line since Sascha didn't even bother with them.

 

[Dimitris]

I thought in the 2016 AO that he finally lived up to his potential and could be a legitimate slam contender, but it wasn't to be. I really hope he keeps up the good form and stays aggressive.

 

[heninfan99]

Yes it's all come together as predicted.

Murray's pigeon is finally free.

 

[Mark-Touch]

I thought in the 2016 AO that he finally lived up to his potential and could be a legitimate slam contender, but it wasn't to be. I really hope he keeps up the good form and stays aggressive.

He did improve on his 2016 AO form by making the 2016 Wim final!

 

[Mark-Touch]

I've followed Raonic off and on for quite a few years now.
I have never seen him play better than he is now.
The thing that really stands out for me is his improved movement and consistency/precision of shots.
Despite his awkward build, he was able to keep up with Zverev shot for shot and then some, moving side to side almost effortlessly.
His service reliability/potency reminds me of Sampras.

 

[IowaGuy]

I've followed Raonic off and on for quite a few years now.
I have never seen him play better than he is now.
The thing that really stands out for me is his improved movement and consistency/precision of shots.
Despite his awkward build, he was able to keep up with Zverev shot for shot and then some, moving side to side almost effortlessly.
His service reliability/potency reminds me of Sampras.

Has Goran been working with him on anything in particular?

 

[Mark-Touch]

Has Goran been working with him on anything in particular?

Good question. I'm not sure, we'll have to wait for someone else who might have the answer.

 

[Terenigma]

I watched highlights of his match against Zerev and was impressed with his inside out forehand. He was getting a load of winners with it. He has also seen off Kyrgios and Wawrinka, which along with Zerev is an impressive list of casualties given it isn't even the QF yet.

Yeah lets not overlook this fact. To repeat it. He's beaten Kyrgios, Wawrinka and Zverev and could still yet face Djokovic and maybe even Nadal. Give that kind of draw to anyone else and there would be endless threads of people talking about how draws are rigged. Yet here Raonic is, in the QF with only 1 set lost to Wawrinka in a tiebreak.

 

[daddy]

Ranoic is a top 10 player but having said this, he is limited and will never be a force he was expected to become. Anyways his performance vs Zverev showed a true tactical improvement - he finally realized he can not blow everyone off court using his serve and fh and utilized the bh to maximum effect. Of course this worked vs young and inexperienced Zverev who is also very tall and was not expecting this game plan but at least Milos came out of his comfort zone and did something else and got a result in doing so ! Fantastic. Shows that Zverev has a long way to go if he is to reach the ultimate goal which is #1 and multiple slam winner.

 

[BGod]

Raonic winning his first Slam at the same age as his coach seems fitting. He has 4 cracks at it.

 

[vandre]

Raonic and Nishikori at the moment are much, much better players than all the "next gen", "future gen", "super gen", etc.

They have a winning percentage of 78.9 and 77.4 in Grand Slams against anyone except the Big4. Big star Zverev is only at 65.8.

do you think any player loves the new 5th set tiebreaker rules more than nishikori right now?

 

[mental midget]

Yeah lets not overlook this fact. To repeat it. He's beaten Kyrgios, Wawrinka and Zverev and could still yet face Djokovic and maybe even Nadal. Give that kind of draw to anyone else and there would be endless threads of people talking about how draws are rigged. Yet here Raonic is, in the QF with only 1 set lost to Wawrinka in a tiebreak.

absolutely. i had him losing all three of those honestly. backhand has definitely improved, volleys surprisingly solid, showing patience...just said it but i'll say it again, i am really impressed with what he's doing. motivated, focused and professional dude he most certainly is. he's also one of the smartest guys on tour fwiw, empirically not anecdotally, i think he was a bit of a math prodigy, was studying several years ahead of his age etc...anyway let's see what happens here.

 

[Dimitris]

He did improve on his 2016 AO form by making the 2016 Wim final!

You are right I had forgotten about this. But I remembered the AO because it was a new Raonic coming with an improved Forehand and excellent S&V so he really made an impression to me.

 

[abmk]

He did improve on his 2016 AO form by making the 2016 Wim final!

no, he didn't.
His Wim 16 form was by some distance worse than AO 16 form. SnV/net play was not as good at all.
He was lucky with fed choking in 4th set& getting injured in 5th set in Wim SF (as opposed to being unlucky by getting injured in AO 16 semi when up 2 sets to 1 vs Murray).
Also had to come from 2 sets to love down vs Goffin in Wim 16. Got clearly outplayed by Murray in the final.
Had played Murray tough in queens a couple of weeks before that.
Also played Murray tough at the WTF.

 

[Mark-Touch]

no, he didn't.
His Wim 16 form was by some distance worse than AO 16 form. SnV/net play was not as good at all.
He was lucky with fed choking in 4th set& getting injured in 5th set in Wim SF (as opposed to being unlucky by getting injured in AO 16 semi when up 2 sets to 1 vs Murray).
Also had to come from 2 sets to love down vs Goffin in Wim 16. Got clearly outplayed by Murray in the final.
Had played Murray tough in queens a couple of weeks before that.
Also played Murray tough at the WTF.

You're being too anal.
Most people on this planet consider going deeper in slams to be better form.

 

[Red Rick]

So Zverev being Zverev now means Raonic is better than ever?

 

[Mark-Touch]

So Zverev being Zverev now means Raonic is better than ever?

Let's put it this way.
It wasn't an one-off match.

Raonic's level is much higher than it was a few years ago.
So yes, Raonic is better than ever.

It could also be a bad match-up for Zverev (he's now 1-2 vs. Milos)
Many possibilities.

 

[MugOpponent]

Raonic has been solid. I was really impressed with his win over Wawrinka because Stan looked pretty good.

On the flip side, Novak wins AO & RG sitting at 16 and Nadal hopes to keep his slim lead.

It's quite optimistic to think of Novak winning RG again when Nadal is in form. Novak obviously has a good shot here and undoubtedly will make a run at either W or the USO.