Introspective Raonic Knows He Has to Be Better

By Chris Oddo Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

21-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic didn’t achieve his dream result at the Australian Open this year, but the future is still bright for one of the biggest, nastiest servers on the ATP tour. Playing at the scene of his first Grand Slam breakthrough (last year Raonic came out of nowhere to reach the fourth round), Raonic was neutralized by grizzled veteran Lleyton Hewitt on Rod Laver Arena Saturday night.

But once Raonic shakes off the disappointment of turning in a clunker on one of tennis’s biggest stages, he can take solace in the fact that with weapons like his, he’ll likely have many more opportunities to prove he’s worthy of the hype that surrounds him. That’s not a luxury that many players who aren’t blessed with the size and natural power of Raonic are afforded.

“I'm only going to keep learning,” said a somewhat dejected Raonic after the match. “As much as I hate to really look at anything positive out of today, it's a learning experience. There's so much to take from it.”

He’s right. At such a young age, and with such an imposing game, steady improvement by Raonic is a scary proposition for his peers on the ATP tour. By many accounts he’s already one of the top five servers in tennis, and his mammoth forehand is nearly lethal. But beyond that, Raonic is raw, which is where his work ethic and maturity will have to guide him. Thankfully, he’s not averse to looking critically at himself, and he’s never been one to shy away from good old-fashioned hard work either.

“I'm going to improve with matches and practice and everything,” said a hopeful Raonic after the four-set loss to Hewitt. “Also I'll improve with knowing how to deal with the situation, knowing what I can expect, and knowing especially when it's against an opponent like Lleyton that really competes well but also thrives off the crowd… just knowing how to sort of just block that out and focus strictly on the tennis.”

Hewitt, who’ll move on to face Djokovic in the fourth-round, doesn’t think Raonic is that far off when it comes to the mental part of the game. “He's got a good head on his shoulders in terms of tennis knowledge,” the Aussie generously stated. “But under pressure, nothing's easy out there.”

Raonic may have been a bit timid on the big stage, playing for his life in front of hordes of rowdy Aussies, but it’s an experience that will no doubt get him closer to where he wants to be – at the top of the game – if he can learn from it and make the necessary improvements. Based on his comments, making those improvements seems to be the plan.

“I have a long flight home,” said Raonic. “I'm pretty sure it will cross my mind a few times. I'll look at a lot of things. I'll sit down and talk with my coach.”