Milos Raonic Needs A Little Madness

Milos Raonic’s methodical style has served him well. But to push him over the edge, he needs a little madness

- Stephen Tignor

Four years ago, Roger Federer was asked to assess the new generation of players who were moving—tentatively—up the rankings ladder behind him. Federer wasted no time in singling out a then-22-year-old Milos Raonic.

What did he think set the 6'5" Canadian apart? His missile serve? His unflappable demeanor? His flawless coif?

No, Federer sounded more impressed with what Raonic was doing off the court than anything he was doing on it.

“What I like about Milos,” Federer said, “he seems very committed and he seems like he has his team set up...you feel like he’s focused on the matches and the practice. The rest is sort of taken care of.”

Those words must have been music to Raonic’s ears. 

Since the age of 8, when he began rising at 5:00 A.M. to go toe-to-toe with a ball machine, Raonic has prided himself on his willingness to “leave no stone unturned” and “give every ounce of energy” to his career. Never mind that he sometimes set the machine to hit the balls directly to him, so he didn’t have to move. And never mind that, according to one of his junior practice partners, footwork drills were never high on young Milos’ to-do list.

The point is that, as Raonic puts it, he was out there “Every. Single. Day.” Some players make it in the pros because of their precocious talent; Raonic seems to have made it because of his precocious ambition. When he reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, at the 2011 Australian Open, a 20-year-old Raonic said, “I’m not really shocked I am here.”