Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Раонић, romanized: Miloš Raonić, pronounced [mǐloʃ râonitɕ];[4] born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), making him the highest-ranked Canadian player in history. Raonic is the first Canadian man in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon final, the Australian Open semifinals, and the French Open quarterfinals. He has won eight ATP Tour titles.
Native name
Милош Раонић
Miloš Raonić
Canada
December 27, 1990
Titograd, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia
2008
Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Mario Tudor (2019–)
US $20,717,728 [3]
383–183 (67.7% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
8
No. 3 (November 21, 2016)
No. 186 (June 17, 2024)
SF (2016)
QF (2014)
F (2016)
SF (2016)
2R (2012)
26–35 (42.6% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup)
0
No. 103 (June 10, 2013)
SF (2013)
RR (2014)
Raonic's career highlights include a Major final at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships; two semifinals at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and 2016 Australian Open; and four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals at the 2013 Canadian Open, 2014 Paris Masters, 2016 Indian Wells Masters, and the 2020 Cincinnati Masters. Raonic first gained widespread recognition by reaching the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open as a qualifier, where he was said to be the future of professional tennis.[5][6][7][8] Coupled with his first ATP Tour title three weeks later, his world ranking rose from No. 152 to No. 37 in one month, and he was awarded the 2011 ATP Newcomer of the Year. Raonic is the first player born in the 1990s to win an ATP Tour title, to be ranked in the top 10, and to qualify for the ATP Tour Finals (the latter of which he achieved in 2014).
Raonic is frequently described as having one of the best serves among his contemporaries.[9][10][11][12] Statistically, Raonic is one of the best servers in the Open Era, winning 91% of service games to rank third of all time. Aided by his serve, he plays an all-court style with an emphasis on short points. All his singles titles have been won on hardcourts. His overall winning percentage of 68% is one of the highest among currently active players.
Early and personal life[edit]
Raonic was born on December 27, 1990, in Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia (now Podgorica, Montenegro),[13][14] and is of Serb heritage.[15][16][17][18] Prompted by the breakup of Yugoslavia and subsequent ethnic conflict, and seeking more professional opportunities, his family moved to Canada in 1994 when he was three, settling in Brampton, Ontario.[13][19][20]
His parents are both engineers;[21] his father, Dušan, holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering,[20] while his mother, Vesna, has degrees in mechanical and computer engineering, including a master's.[2][21] He has two older siblings: his sister, Jelena, is eleven years older, while his brother, Momir, is nine years older.[2] Raonic's uncle, Branimir Gvozdenović, is a politician in the Government of Montenegro,[22][23] where he has served as Deputy Prime Minister.[24] Raonic is fluent in Serbian and English.[25]
His first, brief introduction to tennis came at age six or seven with a week-long tennis camp at the Bramalea Tennis Club in Brampton, followed by weekly hour-long group sessions led by tennis coach Steve Gibson, who recognized his potential.[2] He moved to nearby Thornhill, Ontario soon after, and one or two years passed before he asked his parents if he could play again.[2][13] His father sought out coach Casey Curtis at the Blackmore Tennis Club in neighbouring Richmond Hill, Ontario.[9] Curtis was at first reluctant to take on Raonic, but was convinced after Raonic demonstrated his commitment by working with his father and a ball machine daily for two months.[2][13][26] Years later, Raonic said he chose tennis because of its "individuality and [because he] felt [he] could train more alone and on a ball machine with [his] dad".[26]
Raonic and Curtis worked together "twice a day, almost every day, for the next nine years."[13] Provided that he complete his courses, Raonic was allowed to reduce his hours of attendance at Thornhill Elementary School so that he could practise more, which he did both before and after school.[2] His parents and siblings supported his tennis, taking turns driving him to practice and tournaments, but did not push him to it or interfere with coaching.[19][27][28] Rather, they emphasized school throughout, insisting that he maintain academic excellence as a prerequisite to playing tennis.[2] He attended Thornhill Secondary School,[29] and accelerated his course load—achieving an 82 percent average—so that he could graduate a year early.[13][27] Late in 2007, at the age of 16, Raonic moved to Montreal as one of the first group of players at Tennis Canada's new National Tennis Centre, thus marking the end of his formal relationship with Curtis.[30][31]
Raonic's four favourite sports teams are FC Barcelona, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Toronto Raptors.[25][32] He played in the 2016 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game held in Toronto.[33]
He worked for Rogers Sportsnet as an analyst while recovering from injury for their broadcast of the 2011 Canadian Open.[34] In November 2011, Raonic won an exhibition match against his childhood idol, Pete Sampras, which was dubbed "The Face Off."[30] In 2012, he took up residence in Monte Carlo, Monaco in a 50 metre2 (538 sq ft) apartment, located minutes away from the Monte Carlo Country Club—his "home" tennis club and the site of the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament—and Stade Louis II, which he uses for off-court training.[35][36] Raonic was in a relationship with Canadian model Danielle Knudson.[37] In April 2022 Raonic married in Italy model Camille Ringoir.[38]
Career[edit]
Amateur career[edit]
Raonic first competed at a junior event sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in October 2003 at the age of 12.[39] Milos partnered fellow Canadian Cameron Chiang and made it to the finals of the Benjamin Open in Bordeaux, France. Two years later, in October 2005, he picked up his first singles match victory at age 14.[39] His first juniors titles in both singles and doubles came at the same Grade 4 tournament in October 2006.[40] Later that year, he won the Prince Cup doubles title, partnering fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil for the first time at an ITF event.[41] Pospisil and Raonic partnered at four more junior tournaments, including the 2008 Wimbledon Championships and the 2008 French Open, reaching the semifinals in the latter.[39][42] His most notable titles as a junior were in doubles, winning two Grade 1 events in 2008 partnered with Bradley Klahn.[39][43][44]
Over five years, Raonic compiled a 53–30 win–loss record in singles, and a 56–24 record in doubles on the ITF Junior Circuit. Except for reaching the semifinals at the 2008 French Open in doubles, Raonic did not advance past the second round of junior Grand Slam events. His career-high combined junior ranking, which considers both singles and doubles results, was No. 35.[39]
While an amateur, Raonic played in fourteen professional tournaments against adults in North America: ten ITF Futures events at the bottom tier of professional tennis; three ATP Challenger Tour events at the middle tier; and one ATP World Tour event at the top tier.[14] He played his first professional circuit match in the qualifying draw of an ITF Futures tournament in Toronto in October 2005 at the age of 14;[45] he won his first professional circuit main draw match at an ITF Futures tournament in Gatineau, Quebec, in March 2007 against Fabrice Martin.[46] With the win, Raonic earned his first world ranking of No. 1518.[47] He played his first professional circuit doubles match at the same tournament, partnered with Pospisil again.[46] Raonic lost his first ATP Challenger Tour match in Granby, Quebec, in July 2007 against Gary Lugassy.[48] Raonic won his first ITF Futures doubles title in Gatineau, Quebec in March 2008,[49] and reached his first ITF Futures singles final two weeks later in Sherbrooke, Quebec.[50] He received a wildcard to the qualifying tournament of the 2008 Canadian Open, but lost in the first round to Alexander Kudryavtsev. The match was his first in the ATP World Tour.[51]
By the summer of 2008, Raonic had received scholarship offers from several colleges, including the University of Michigan, Princeton, and Northwestern University, and committed to play for the University of Virginia that fall while studying finance. Just two weeks before school started, he consulted his parents about his plan to turn professional instead.[27] Raonic and his parents agreed that he would take correspondence courses in finance from Athabasca University while starting a professional tennis career, setting a deadline of two years for reaching the top 100.[13][27] During that summer, his world ranking ranged between No. 915 and No. 937.[47] Raonic reached the top 100 in January 2011, around five months later than the target deadline.[47] He thus turned down the scholarships and turned professional, agreeing to be represented by the sports agency SFX.[52] University of Virginia men's tennis coach Brian Boland later commented that "I have only seen two guys turn down scholarships and then succeed quickly on the Tour: Sam Querrey and Milos Raonic."[27]
2008–2010: Early professional years[edit]
After turning professional in September 2008 until the end of 2010, Raonic played both singles and doubles, primarily at ITF Futures and ATP Challenger tournaments.[14] He won his first ITF Futures singles title in March 2009 in Montreal.[53] He added three more singles titles and five doubles titles at the ITF Futures level in 2009 and 2010.[14] He was less successful at the ATP Challenger level, tallying only one title.[14] In his fourth tournament after turning professional, Raonic won the doubles title at the Men's Rimouski Challenger in November 2008, partnered with Pospisil.[54]
At the ATP World Tour level, Raonic gained entry into few tournaments, compiling a main draw record of three wins and five losses over nearly two and half years.[51] In 2009, Raonic again received a wildcard for the qualifying tournament of the Canadian Open. This time, he beat No. 77 Teymuraz Gabashvili and No. 113 Michaël Llodra to qualify for the main draw of an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time. In the first round, he held a match point, but lost to No. 10 Fernando González in three sets.[2] The matches against Gabashvili and González were the first singles matches for Raonic against a top 100 player and top 10 player, respectively.[51]
A year later, at the 2010 Canadian Open, Raonic and Pospisil were given a doubles wildcard to the main draw, marking Raonic's first ever ATP World Tour doubles match.[51][55] They won their first round match against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It was first time that the world Nos. 1 and 2 had played together in a tour doubles match since Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe did so in 1976.[55] In the second round, Raonic and Pospisil lost to reigning Wimbledon doubles champions Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner. After the match, Raonic said: "Our goal here is pretty much as ambassadors to Canada. The more players that we can get to come, the more people we can get going to take tennis lessons."[56]
Less than a month later, Raonic gained entry into a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2010 US Open.[57] He qualified for the main draw, but lost in the first round to Carsten Ball.[51] Raonic's first ATP main draw singles victory came in September 2010 at the Malaysian Open against No. 105 Igor Kunitsyn.[58] He followed this with a second round victory over No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky. The following week, Raonic lost in the second round of the 2010 Japan Open to No. 1 Nadal.[59][60] This marked his first singles match against a player ranked No. 1,[51] and his first singles match against a member of the Big Four—a quartet of dominant tennis players including Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray.[61]
Rivals and contemporaries[edit]
Raonic and the Big Four[edit]
Raonic holds a combined 9–36 record against the Big Four,[61] including 0–11 against Djokovic,[110] 2–7 against Nadal,[59] 3–11 against Federer,[87] and 4–9 against Murray.[290]
Each of Raonic's deepest runs in significant tournaments (i.e. majors and ATP 1000 tournaments) has ended with a loss to a member of the Big Four: Nadal in the 2013 Canadian Open final,[103] Federer in the 2014 Wimbledon semifinal,[116] Djokovic in the 2014 Paris Masters final,[126] Murray in the 2016 Australian Open semifinal, Djokovic in the 2016 Indian Wells Masters final,[160] Murray in the 2016 Wimbledon final,[170] and Murray in the semifinals of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals. At majors, Raonic has a 1–8 record against the Big Four, losing the first five matches in straight sets.[291] He has met only one of the four in Davis Cup play: he lost to Djokovic in the 2013 semifinals.[226]
Raonic's most frequent opponent, either inside or outside the Big Four, is Federer (14 matches).[51][87][290] His first victory over Federer in the 2014 Paris Masters quarterfinal was hailed as "a career-defining win."[123] His second victory over Federer—at the 2016 Brisbane International—was his first in a final against the Big Four.[61] A third victory over Federer—in the 2016 Wimbledon semifinal—marked Raonic's first victory at a Grand Slam tournament against the Big Four.[169][291] Raonic referred to his match against Murray at the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals as "the best match [he's] ever competed in."[180]
Raonic and Nishikori[edit]
Kei Nishikori is often cited as Raonic's primary rival.[292][293][294][295] The two have very different strengths; according to The Globe and Mail, Raonic uses his "size and his serve", while Nishikori uses his "savvy and speed."[293] Both are the first from their respective countries to achieve a top 10 ranking,[293] and both have a career-high ranking inside the top 4.[25][296] In May 2015, they were the two youngest players in the top 10.[292] Nishikori holds a 5–2 advantage in seven close matches, including two wins in the Japan Open final (2012, 2014). Of the twenty-five sets they have played, ten have required a tiebreak. Only one of their matches has been a straight sets victory. Five matches have required the maximum number of sets.[132] One of these was a marathon US Open five-set match that equalled the record for latest finish ever at 2:26 a.m.[121]
Nishikori and Raonic are among a group of players whom tennis pundits suggest could be the successors of the Big Four. The members of this group vary, but have included Grigor Dimitrov, Ernests Gulbis, Marin Čilić, and Dominic Thiem.[73][297][298][299][300] Raonic holds a positive record against Gulbis and Thiem, having won on all six combined occasions,[301][302] but has a negative record against Čilić and Dimitrov, having lost four matches to the latter in six meetings, including one walkover.[303][304]
Raonic and Pospisil[edit]
Pospisil is more of a contemporary rather than a rival of Raonic. Owing to their similarity in age—Pospisil is six months older[305]—and the fact that both are successful products of Tennis Canada's development programs,[306] they have been linked as the leaders of a new generation of Canadian tennis players.[242][305][306][307][308] They partnered in doubles frequently early in their careers, winning doubles titles together in junior and ATP Challenger events.[14][39] Between 2011 and 2015, Raonic and Pospisil have been the two top-ranked Canadian men in year-end rankings.[b] As well as four ATP Challenger and Futures matches, they have played each other in two ATP World Tour matches:[310] Raonic beat Pospisil in the first all-Canadian semifinal at an ATP 1000 tournament,[101] and in the first all-Canadian final in ATP history.[118] They are frequent Davis Cup teammates,[225] and they planned to play doubles together at the 2016 Rio Olympics until Raonic withdrew.[311][312]
Raonic, Isner, and Karlović[edit]
Raonic is often compared to Isner and Karlović.[270][313][314] The trio possess statistically dominant serves, leading the ATP in service games won and in aces per match in the period between 2012 and 2018.[315][316] They have played each other infrequently, however. Raonic is 1–1 against Karlović[317] and 1–5 against Isner.[318] Karlović holds a 3–2 head-to-head advantage over Isner.[319]
Philanthropy[edit]
In 2011, while recovering from a hip injury sustained at Wimbledon, Raonic decided to become involved with philanthropic work, focusing on helping disadvantaged children.[320] The following year, in 2012, he launched the Milos Raonic Foundation,[321][322][323] which aims to "support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to remove economic, physical and other barriers that might prevent them from becoming healthy, productive members of society. ... In the initial stages of its work, the foundation will focus, in particular, on children with physical disabilities."[324] As of 2016, the foundation had awarded $120,000 in grants to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital,[324] and $30,000 to the Canadian Paralympic Committee.[324][325] Raonic and his parents are the three directors of the foundation,[321][322] which has partnered with ATP Aces for Charity.[323][326]
Several celebrity fundraising events have been held in conjunction with the foundation. On November 15, 2012, the inaugural "Raonic Race for Kids" was held, with multiple teams competing in quick physical and intellectual challenges. Teams were led by celebrities, including Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback Damon Allen and tennis players Eugenie Bouchard and Daniel Nestor.[327] The next night, a second "Face Off" event featured exhibition matches between Raonic and Andy Roddick, and between Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwańska.[328] In November 2013, the second "Raonic Race for Kids" featured Davis Cup captain Martin Laurendeau, musician Jim Cuddy, and broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos.[329] The third "Raonic Race for Kids" in November 2014 featured Tennis Canada CEO Kelly Murumets, soccer player Dwayne De Rosario, and figure-skating champions Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue, and Scott Moir.[330]
In December 2020 it was announced that Raonic joined the High Impact Athletes,[331] an organization based on the effective altruism movement where professional athletes pledge to donate at least 1% of its income to the most effective, evidence based charities in the world.