VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
If not for his height and great serve, Raonic wouldn't come close to his seeding. If his first serve averaged only 120 mph he might not make the top 50. He's not a smart tactician, he doesn't win his share of backhand-to-backhand cross-court rallies, and he's prone to making careless errors. Grand slam winner? Not likely. Who comes to mind? Perhaps Greg Rusedski, another hard server from Canada.
That's a little unfair. He's 6'5", and guys that tall have a tough time moving like the little guys (we've had this conversation about hockey players too, I'm sure). Federer, Djokovic and Nadal move well, but they are in the 6'1"-6'2" neighborhood. Nishikori is a pretty tough customer who is also on the rise. If you look at it from the standpoint of improving and making adjustments (keeping the ball in play more with a slice backhand rather than playing an aggressive shot from a defensive position), I think that Raonic is progressing well. Will he ever win a grand slam? Tough one. The stars will have to align and he will have to have the tournament of his life, but it's not inconceivable (Roddick won one!). But this is a men's game that is as deep as it's ever been, and this player has raised Canadian expections like no other male player before him.
That said, I think that outside of Serena, Bouchard can beat any woman on tour, so I like her chances better to win a Grand Slam event someday than Raonic's.
Edit: I think Raonic's game is much more complete than Rusedski, especially off the ground. If Rusedski had played Nishikori, the rallies would have been much shorter and one-sided to Nishikori's advantage. Rusedski would have come to the net more and been burned more.
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