Raonic Rounding Into Form at Eighth Grand Slam Event

Even though it’s only his second trip to the U.S. Open, hard-hitting Milos Raonic isn’t letting the big stage throw him. The 21-year-old, ranked 16th in the world and seeded 15th at this tournament, is riding high on his massive serve.

On Saturday, he beat American James Blake in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 and 7-6 (7-3). The fourth round is the deepest Raonic has gone in a Grand Slam: in fact, it’s the furthest any Canadian has been at the U.S. Open since Martin Laurendeau in 1988. Now Raonic’s reward is to face Olympic gold medallist and third seed Andy Murray.

Taking on a high-profile opponent such as Murray in a Grand Slam event like the U.S. Open doesn’t seem to faze him much. “My job is to go out there and make my opponents adjust to me,” Raonic said in an interview. “I feel like I have the ability to be more dangerous than most players when I have the ball on my racquet, especially out of my hand on a serve. That just puts a lot of pressure on my opponents – if I’m serving well.”

Raonic is by no means perfect. In his opening-round match at Flushing Meadows last Tuesday, he had to overcome 55 unforced errors (including 15 double-faults) to defeat Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo. Obviously there are positioning and stroke matters he must still work on, but that should come with time given what he’s already shown.

He also faced Murray in April in a quarter-final on the clay at Barcelona — and defeated him 6-4, 7-6. However, the 25-year-old Scot has a lot of momentum from his triumph at the London Olympics and the added advantage of being on a hardcourt, his preferred surface.

Regardless of how he does against Murray, just getting into the “round of 16” at a Grand Slam is a huge accomplishment for Raonic and will likely boost his overall ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking. More importantly, it should add more confidence to a player who looks ready to take on the best in the world.

No less an authority than tennis legend John McEnroe said of Raonic that “he has a good chance to be one of the top five players in the world.” If he can cut down on his unforced errors, stay healthy and maintain his gigantic first serve, there won’t be any doubt in anyone’s mind that Raonic will write his name in the history books in the next few years.