Simon analyzes Raonic

tacou

G.O.A.T.
Good stuff. He doesn't sound overly bitter, so it's interesting he says Raonic hasn't really improved from the back of the court.
 

Richie Rich

Legend
hard to disagree with Simon, a preofessional, but i think anyone who has watched Raonic over the last 2 years will notice a better groundstroke game. not so many balls in the middle of the net anymore. but maybe they are going 8 metres out like Simon says instead of in the net :)
 

Down_the_line

G.O.A.T.
hard to disagree with Simon, a preofessional, but i think anyone who has watched Raonic over the last 2 years will notice a better groundstroke game. not so many balls in the middle of the net anymore. but maybe they are going 8 metres out like Simon says instead of in the net :)

Exactly. Even last year when Raonic made his breakthrough final appearance at the Rogers Cup he had improved tremendously but still looked uncomfortable and downright goofy in rallies. Now he looks very confident in rally situations so I don't see how Simon thinks he hasn't improved. If anything he's made a gigantic leap. He still makes his errors but that's because he's very much an attacking player, and a very good attack player at that. He wants to keep the points short and go for the winners. I'll take that. It's different and, personally, it's a very fun style to watch.
 

Snakebitten

Rookie
Totally agree. Man, what a comprehensive analysis by Simon. I'm thinking he could easily be a future coach for someone after he retires...
 

RoddickAce

Hall of Fame
It is a good analysis...but when you boil down to what he really just said...

All he is saying is that Raonic plays a high risk high reward game, and it is unsettling because he is unpredictable.
 

MindoverMatter

Professional
It is a good analysis...but when you boil down to what he really just said...

All he is saying is that Raonic plays a high risk high reward game, and it is unsettling because he is unpredictable.

Well, I feel like it's a bit more than that. Simon is saying that Raonic can be very clutch when he needs to be, and it can be really deflating for an opponent when you have break points and they just fly away because of a couple good serves. Milos is almost playing mind games with the opponent.
 

cc0509

Talk Tennis Guru
Good stuff. He doesn't sound overly bitter, so it's interesting he says Raonic hasn't really improved from the back of the court.

He is wrong. Djokovic said he has improved in all areas. I will take the more accomplished Djokovic's word over Simon's.
 

tacou

G.O.A.T.
It is a good analysis...but when you boil down to what he really just said...

All he is saying is that Raonic plays a high risk high reward game, and it is unsettling because he is unpredictable.

That's what you typically hear on the TV; I found Simon's analysis much more nuanced.
 

tacou

G.O.A.T.
He is wrong. Djokovic said he has improved in all areas. I will take the more accomplished Djokovic's word over Simon's.

More accomplished = more typical responses to question. Novak would never say "he hasn't really improved" because it would be all the rage in the tennis world. Simon says it, and it flies under the radar.

Raonic, in my eyes, has become more consistent off the ground. I mean, he's in the QF at the French. That said, nothing spectacular. He is still an awkward mover who needs to set up points with a big serve, and when he doesn't he is at a disadvantage.
 

Fedal4Ever

Banned
Does this mean Raonic is only motivated during important points? If so, then he could potentially surpass Federer when he starts to fight for every point.
 
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