Coach Blanco on Raonic « Milos Raonic

3Mar/11Off

Coach Blanco on Raonic

In this article by Kate Flory, Raonic's coach, Galo Blanco, offers insight into how Milos has improved so dramatically this year and what the future may hold for the young Canadian. Here is what Blanco says about the terrific start to the season:

“If I’m honest, we did not expect this start to the season,” Blanco told RadioMARCA. “I had a lot of faith in Milos, but his progress has been much faster than we expected. What has helped us a lot is that we didn’t stand still after reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. If he hadn’t continued working, he wouldn’t have had those results in San Jose and Memphis. What he does so well is that he keeps wanting to improve every day. It is something he has learnt from the Spaniards."

Being able to back up his surprise run at the Aussie Open is really what has solidified Raonic's reputation as a rising star. Raonic capitalized on the momentum he gathered in Australia and carried it into San Jose and Memphis. It's been an exciting couple of months, but this is only the beginning. As Blanco admits, there is still a lot of potential for Milos.

“I do think he can win a big title, such as a Masters 1000 or a Grand Slam. However, I don’t like to set goals on this scale. I think we have to keep our feet on the ground and remember that two months ago he was World No. 150; when I started working with him he was No. 230 in the rankings. Time has shown us that with hard work, anything is possible.”

I'm curious to see how Raonic's game will play out on the clay courts. The big serve may not be as effective, so those free points might be harder to come by. However, Milos has shown that he is more than just a big server. His new-found patience allows him to setup points more effectively and pick the right time to go for the winner. Defense and strategy are key to clay court success. Of course, a bit of experience couldn't hurt either.

Raonic will compete on clay in Canada’s Davis Cup tie away to Mexico this weekend, and following his appearances at the BNP Paribas Open and Sony Ericsson Open next month, will embark on a six-week spell on clay.

Indian Wells, Miami, and a bunch of clay court tournaments? Sounds good to me.

-multi