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Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic has backed big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, saying that the 11th-ranked player will soon trouble the top 5 players of the world.

Ljubicic, who hung his boots up from professional tennis in 2012, is currently the coach of Raonic.

"That’s the goal, not tomorrow but sometime next season," Ljubicic told Tennis Journal.

"If things progress the way we hope, he’s going to get closer. It’s no secret he’s not there yet and there’s a lot of work to be done, but he’s 22 and I have no doubt he will be up there."

Ljubicic also compared the two era's (today's players and those of 1998), saying that the difference between the two era's is commitment.

"The difference between these top guys and the top guys back then are these guys are so unbelievably consistent," he continued. "You can’t take off any point. When you played Sampras, you felt that in return games he played one or two sets, and on clay he was nowhere near his best. People actually wanted to play against him on clay.

"Every one of them would have parts of the season where they would lose matches and that made them vulnerable. But then again, Sampras finished No. 1 for six seasons? He had his goals and he reached them. The thing with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is that their goal is to win every single match and that wasn’t the case with the older generation."

After what he described as a “frustrating and disappointing” start to the season, Milos Raonic has turned his year around with the help of new coach Ivan Ljubicic. He now finds himself within touching distance of a place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals going into the last chance saloon at the BNP Paribas Masters next week.

It has been somewhat of a transition season for the Canadian, who, two years ago, travelled to the season finale in London to collect the ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year award. After parting ways with long-time coach Galo Blanco in May, Raonic began working with former World No. 3 Ljubicic at the start of June and it heralded a new phase in the Toronto native’s development.

“I felt like when I made the decision, I was convinced it was the right one,” Raonic told ATPWorldTour.com. “The approach has always been, when you’re going to do something, believe in it and go 100 per cent. That’s really what it came down to. It was just a little bit tough because it was in the middle of the season, just before two Grand Slams.

“I think in general, everything’s turned out well. I can’t complain. I feel like I’m playing much better and like I’m playing some of my best tennis now. I feel like I’m getting better every day, so I’m very happy with that.”

The Strategy

The strategy under Ljubicic is simple: win or lose the match, but do it on your own terms. “I’ve focused a lot on what I need to do to compete against the top guys,” explained Raonic. “But not just when I’m playing them, when I’m playing all my other matches too. It’s about being more aggressive, trying to dictate more and more, trying to have the match in my hands as much as I can and have it depend on me.”

As well as working with Ljubicic, Raonic also employed a new fitness trainer, Dalibor Sirola, who travels the tour with the 22 year old. Among the changes implemented are longer warm-ups, more focus on mobilisation of the body and attention to functional stability and movement.

The results came quickly. Raonic became the first Canadian to crack the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after reaching the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, along the way defeating Juan Martin del Potro before ultimately falling to Rafael Nadal. He was the first homegrown finalist at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament since Robert Bedard in 1958.

He narrowly missed out on reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open, falling to Richard Gasquet 7-5 in the fifth set in the fourth round, but excelled in the Asian swing, winning his second title of the season at the Thailand Open in Bangkok (d. Berdych) and reaching the final a week later at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo (l. to del Potro).

“I think I’ve learned how to approach those difficult moments,” Raonic said. “For about three or four months there I was really frustrated with myself with how I was playing. I didn’t feel like I was playing my best tennis when I really wanted to be. There were no injuries or complications. I was healthy, but just not playing well.

“It taught me to just keep plugging away. You don’t know when it’s going to come together, but it will come together. If you lose sight of what you need to be doing, then it just gets more and more dangerous.”

The results have seen him firmly established as the youngest player in the Top 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, in a generation where the experience and consistency of the Top 10 sets them apart. Breaking up that group is a challenge that Raonic is keen to rise to and attack.

“Experience is what I’m going to pick up as I go, I can’t really fake that or make it appear in my game,” said Raonic. “I think that’s really about learning from every opportunity you have.

“But the rest is really about going out there and trying to control and dictate and try to play on my terms as much as possible and try and take my game to them. Rather than me adjusting to them. I think if I can do that and do it well and consistently, I’ll be able to create more opportunities and the question is just about converting them."

The Final Showdown

With just one week left in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Raonic will need a big performance at the BNP Paribas Masters if he is to clinch one of the coveted eight berths at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The right-hander is currently 11th in the standings and goes in 350 points behind Richard Gasquet, who occupies the last qualifying spot.

“It would definitely be a great thing [to qualify],” said Raonic. “It’s really a great opportunity that I’ve put myself in, especially considering how frustrated and disappointed I was with parts of the beginning of the year. To really rally like I have in the second half and play the kind of tennis I’ve been playing, I’m very happy with.

“It was a goal I set out for myself at the start of the year, but at tough parts of the year it wasn’t even really something I was considering at any point. To give myself the possibility, is definitely a positive thing.

“I was only [at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals] for one night [in 2011], but I thought it was a great spectacle. The way it was organised, the way it was scheduled with two [singles] matches a day. You can build up momentum because they always start on time. It feels like a prime time boxing card that you can set in advance because you know who’s going to face off against who and you have the best guys facing off. So it’s pretty special.”

The Next Step

Raonic explained his goals for next season will depend on how he finishes this season, but one area he is looking to improve is at the major championships. The right-hander is yet to advance past the fourth round at a Grand Slam, but has the belief he can soon become a title contender on the biggest stage.

“The most important thing about the Grand Slams is developing a great routine,” said Raonic. “You’re not going to feel great for two weeks, that’s for sure. You sort of have to find your way through those matches, through those tough moments, mentally and physically. I think that’s definitely the most difficult part.

“Definitely reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final is one [goal], but I wouldn’t want to end there. It’s about going further and further. I don’t want to just squeeze through to the quarters; I want to put myself in the position to compete to win the event. I’m really motivated and eager, when I have the time to do the work, to do the work and I really look forward to those challenges next year.”

PLAYER NEWS 2013
OFF COURT WITH MILOS RAONIC
Milos Raonic

Milos Raonic has had a career-best year on the ATP World Tour.
Milos Raonic enjoyed a career-best season in 2013, breaking the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and winning two ATP World Tour titles at the SAP Open in San Jose (d. Haas) and the Thailand Open in Bangkok (d. Berdych). He narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, travelling to London as alternate instead.

The 22-year-old Canadian reveals to ATPWorldTour.com the three things he can’t live without, his favourite home cooked meal and his biggest travel pet peeve.

If you could have any job in the world, outside of tennis, what would it be?
Something financial. I grew up studying that and it’s something I have an interest in. But if we’re talking any job, something extreme, then I’d want to be an NBA player.

What songs would we find on your ideal playlist?
I think it changes too often to put it down to one or two songs. I think I’m very inconsistent with my musical tastes. I don’t really make playlists. I just scroll through the songs or albums directory, pick out one thing and that’s what I listen to. I can’t remember the last time I actually made a playlist.

What’s your biggest travel pet peeve?
Airports. Delays, waiting, having to show up early – the whole thing. Sitting on an airplane for 12 hours. I love being in different parts of the world, I just dislike how long and sometimes how tedious it is to get there.

Do you have any pre-match or on-court superstitions?
I like to eat steak every night before I play. I’ve done that for many years now and I don’t think I’ve really missed many, maybe just one or two matches when I’ve finished late or there isn’t steak available. But I don’t think there’s been more than a handful of matches where I haven’t eaten steak the night before.

What’s your favourite food you’ve tried when you’ve been travelling?
My favourite food that I consistently have is sushi. So other than steak obviously the night before I play, every time I’m not playing the next day, or something like this, I really love having sushi.

Biggest celebrity crush?
Candice Swanepoel.

When was the last time you cooked for yourself or others?
Is cereal considered cooking?
No.
Is macaroni and cheese that you put in the microwave considered cooking?
No, that’s warming up.
I cannot say I’ve cooked then.
Can’t cook or won’t cook?
Well one affects the other. I don’t want to poison myself or other people!

Ok, what’s your favourite home cooked meal that your mum makes?
Roast lamb with roast potatoes. It’s the one dish that I always have when I come home. I have it at least once.

What are three things that you can’t live without?
My cellphone, a computer and my family.

What was your first car?
I don’t have a car. I have a driving license, but I have not purchased a car. For how much I travel… I really get the impulse to want to buy a car, but always when I think about it or I get close to wanting to commit to the idea, I always ask myself, ‘Really? Is this what you want to do? Have a car for like two weeks a year of driving?’ If I were to buy a car, I’d really like a Tesla Electric car.

Which app on your phone could you not manage without?
The messaging app.

What’s your idea of a perfect holiday?
Getting to go home and just being around familiar things and family.

What was the last book you read and film you saw?
The last book I read was Steve Jobs. I saw a movie the other day… I’m trying to remember what. Obviously wasn’t that great if I can’t remember it!

If you could pick one player from any era in tennis and play them on any court, who would it be and where?
Pete Sampras and I’m not sure if it’s Centre Court at Wimbledon or night match at the US Open.

Fancy your chances in his prime?
Tough. I think he has one of the best night match records at the US Open and the guy has seven Wimbledons. So it would be a very difficult task.

Q. On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of fun today, where would you rate this day?
MILOS RAONIC: I don't think 'fun' is the right word. It was a day with a lot of different adversities. It was okay. It wasn't too difficult of a day. I'm just happy I got through it as efficiently as I did.



Q. I noticed you were a little bit cranky out there. Unusual for you when you're winning. Was that just a combination of it being a long day and wanting to get it over with?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, just a lot of different things. Also sort of before the rain the conditions were quite different, a lot quicker. Then I come out starting from the first game getting everything figured out.



Q. Have you played under the lights in the outside courts here ever?
MILOS RAONIC: No. It's a little bit difficult. The lighting is a little bit yellow. Pretty much high tosses get lost a little bit because the lights only face down. There's no upwards or sideways lighting.



Q. You got like a five minute warmup?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, that was about it.



Q. The big forehand that you hit to save set point in the first set of the match, talk about that.
MILOS RAONIC: What happened? I don't remember, to tell you the truth (smiling).

No, I just got to play the situations as they come, deal with the situations. My way of putting myself in a good position and getting out of trouble is by going for the shots, not waiting for my opponents to dictate.



Q. When you find yourself playing more defensively, maybe not being as aggressive, do you know what that's triggered by? Is it nerves?
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's a discipline thing. Sometimes I get in the comfort of I feel like I can step back a little bit and make a lot of balls. I don't always pick up on how much it eases off the pressure off my opponents.



Q. Talk about Dimitrov.
MILOS RAONIC: A difficult match. Very talented, very capable, can do a lot of different things. Sort of have to go about and try to take control as much as I can and try to dictate as much as possible.



Q. Do you watch him much, whether it's YouTube or in matches at tournaments?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, when it's televised. I watched a little bit of him while I was in Hopman Cup playing in Brisbane. Sort of when it's televised, when we're at events like this where you can watch sort of in the locker room. Obviously today we're playing pretty much at the same time.

But I do like to watch him play.

Q. What would be your biggest regrets?
MILOS RAONIC: Uhm, not really too much. I think I played the situations right. The two sets I was a little bit sloppy to allow myself to get down Love 40.

Other than that, I don't think I would really take too much back. I was doing the right things. I came in a bunch.

I don't think I executed well, but I think I had the right idea on what I needed to do.



Q. What happened at that stage in the fourth set when your serve, you went off for a while?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I think I was just rushing a little bit just 'cause I was struggling with execution on other aspects, so I think I was putting a little bit too much on myself sort of to get ahead quickly with the serve.



Q. What went on on his side of the net?
MILOS RAONIC: I think he was doing things well. I think he served well. I think he was good when he had the first shot to sort of get ahead in the point.

I think he got a few good passes in critical moments when he needed it. When I put the pressure on him, he stepped up and he got himself out of that tough situation.



Q. Last year you were playing early round matches on the outer courts probably in front of a couple dozen die hard Canadian fans who made the trip across the world. This year you have people lined up outside the door desperate to get in. How does it feel, that transition?
MILOS RAONIC: No, it's an honor that people are responding that way, that are that eager to watch me play. I'm very grateful for it. I just hope it keeps going that way. I hope I keep giving them a reason to come watch.



Q. A little more pressure?
MILOS RAONIC: No, it's more exciting. I think when you get sort of those loud moments that we had just before the fourth set tiebreak started, in those important moments, it makes it that much more exciting, more adrenaline going through.

It's the moments you prepare yourself hard for.



Q. Do you think it's a sign of things to come for Milos Raonic in the tennis world, people lining up to get into the big arenas?
MILOS RAONIC: I hope so. I wouldn't say that's necessarily directly my goal, but I think that's a repercussion if I am to achieve my goals.



Q. Eugenie Bouchard is the last standard bearer left for Canada in the tournament. How do you feel she's doing?
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's great. I've gotten to watch a little bit of her matches. I got to watch the way she was playing two weeks ago in Hopman Cup.

I think she's doing a lot of things well. She's been doing what she's needed to. First time being seeded, being the favorite in all her matches so far. She's stepped up and played well, so it's good to see.



Q. He had a lot of consistency at holding his serve today; probably more than you did. Is that you not returning as well or him having a really good day?
MILOS RAONIC: He got out of trouble the first few times in the beginning playing well in the right situation, a good serve. I really didn't get a chance.

I think after I was struggling a little bit just to really give myself a positive opportunity on his serves. I think he got himself out on his own at the first, and then I think it was a bit of both of us.

He was doing things well, but I wasn't creating pressure often enough. He just kept sort of going with quite a bit of ease through his own service games.



Q. Was that a specific part of your game plan, that when you came to the net you were going to come in almost always to his backhand side?
MILOS RAONIC: Yeah, I think you sort of have to. Not necessarily you have to. You obviously have to mix it up. But it's the right play.

Times I did get past, especially when I hit a good shot, sometimes I was sort of also putting pressure, sort of bluffing on a chip and charge and so forth just to make him think.

When I did come in with a good shot, I can't really do anything when he makes it halfway down the line on the line on that shot in the tiebreak. I just have to really give him a hands up for that.

I just wish I was a little bit more efficient. A lot of times I did have the volley I wanted to, and I don't think I did well in that situation. My numbers weren't great when I was at the net. It wasn't how I was coming in; it was my execution with the volley.



Q. Do you consider that to be his more vulnerable side of the pass by quite a bit? Might have been like 90%.
MILOS RAONIC: I think it's his more vulnerable side. But I think it's also for me my better shot, sort of to lead in that way. The thing I found, most of the times he was passing, he was passing from pretty far back. Even if he did come up with a good shot it had to be really good, because I was sort of there in position.

And, yes, I didn't do a great job with sort of closing off volleys and picking the right volleys in that situation.



Q. We didn't have a chance to ask you the other night about the ankle you had taped in the previous match. Is that all better?
MILOS RAONIC: No, it wasn't an issue. I think other aspects of my game were the reason for the result of today.



Q. The little embrace at the net afterwards, you two get along?
MILOS RAONIC: You go out there and you put it all out. I can't be mad at the guy for beating me or anything. I've seen him around since juniors, since under 14s. I know him and I respect him.

I told him, Good luck in the next round. Whoever he's playing in the next round, I'm not exactly sure. But just from growing up with him, I would, for example, want him to do well because I've known him for quite some time.



Q. He's playing Roberto Bautista Agut to get into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. When you look on this tournament in retrospect, do you think you'll look at it as an opportunity lost given how the draw shook out?
MILOS RAONIC: Probably when I look at it after, I would have said, I wish I could have gotten through that fourth set tiebreaker and gotten to the fifth. I don't think I'll spend too much time on it. There's too much tennis to be played this year.