Indian Wells: Another Game for Milos!

Coverage

2011

BNP Paribas Open

Thursday, 17 March 2011 10:06

Indian Wells: Another Game for Milos!

Written by Jason Wood

I'd be lying if I said Milos Raonic isn't a big part of why I looked forward to the 2011 BNP Paribas Open. Even if I were not here doing coverage, I would have been here just to see Milos. As a long-time fan of Canadian tennis, it's been really exciting to have a singles player in the mix for titles on the ATP World Tour.

Raonic first came to the world's attention at the 2011 Australian Open, running through qualifying and reaching the Fourth round, knocking out World No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny on the way. He followed that up by winning the San Jose title (beating World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco in the Final). The next week he played in Memphis, where he lost in the Final to World No. 8 Andy Roddick (he beat Verdasco again in the opening round). After starting the year ranked right outside the Top 150, the Canadian entered the BNP Paribas Open as the World No. 37, but because entry cutoff was six weeks prior, he needed a wildcard to avoid qualifying.

I find Raonic on the practice courts early in the morning and watch his entire session. Having never seen him outside of a match, it isn't obvious at first if Milos is just a very relaxed, efficient kind of guy, or if he is dead tired. I now think it was the latter. He drags himself around the court, looking pretty lazy in the 83-degree heat. Raonic has logged a lot of miles this year. Now, it's one thing to play a lot of consecutive tournaments when you only get one or two matches at each, but Milos has been playing deep into the draw in many weeks. It has clearly taken its toll. He hits at half-power for about five minutes, then sits and talks with his coach. Then he hits a few weak serves and rests again. But the amazing thing is that when his coach asks for energy, Milos summons it up. I watch as he starts practicing his first serve at full power. First he serves into the deuce court: five out wide, five up the middle. Then he does the same into the ad court. Then back again. Raonic is absolutely crushing the ball. He hits 30 serves, about 80% of them in, and all within a foot and a half of the corner he's is targeting. After he's done, he slumps his shoulders, hangs his head and shuffles to the bench. It is the same routine for forehands, backhands, and volleys. I'm guessing this guy is simply on autopilot. He plays his tennis, and his people and the ATP manage everything else.

After his hitting session, I follow Raonic back toward the Players' Lounge. As he crosses Autograph Alley, the space between the practice courts and the player zone where fans gather, he gets mildly mobbed (With his curly locks, Milos is becoming easily recognized.) He signs a few autographs, moving constantly forward, but this is clearly the part of his job he is least at ease with at the moment. He is uncomfortable making eye contact with fans, doesn't engage in conversation, and looks to his handlers for help when he gets stuck. If you didn't know anything about him, you might think he doesn't appreciate his many supporters. But in fact, it's the opposite.

You see, after watching this kid for the past week, watching his matches, seeing him at lunch, attending his media interviews, I am starting to understand why he acts the way he does. If Milos answered just one question from a fan, it would take him two hours to cross the twenty feet of concrete to safety. Raonic can't stop himself from being overly polite and friendly. Maybe it's the Canadian in him? But when he gets into a crowd, he has no choice but to shut himself off to them. And I think he feels awful about it.

In my attempt to get access to Raonic, I thought the ATP was putting in an effort into protecting the youngster, in fear of him suffering Melanie Oudin-style over-exposure. I never did get the one-on-one interview but ended up dominating his media interviews. He figured out my game pretty quickly, and at the second appearance, when he and I were the first ones in the room, quipped, "Oh, good, the Canadian's here again.” At his final interview after his loss, when I asked about the new demands on his time, he, ironically, gave me a five-minute answer. I had a few questions about Tennis Canada, since there's some confusion about his experiences with the national association. But, of course, Raonic refused to be critical of the program, instead steering the discussion toward his national pride and his hopes to contribute to a great future for Canadian tennis. We talked about the lack of financial support for junior prospects in Canada, but, instead of using the American program for comparison, Raonic referenced the Serbian program to demonstrate that Canada does, in fact, provide support where it should. He's very wise, this one.

At the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, he had a pretty good run, won a couple of matches, beat Mardy Fish, but finally lost in an amazing three-setter to Ryan Harrison, another rising young star on Tour. Both young men exhibited a complete lack of fear, and both showed an amazing ability to stand tall under pressure. In the first set, at 3-3, Harrison got into trouble at 15-40, but played several superb rallies to avoid the break. They went to a tiebreak, and the crowd was really getting into it. Harrison had the edge in support, but not by much. He jumped out to an early lead, 3-1, and then 5-1. With a lot of shouting and fist pumping, Harrison took the breaker, 7-1.

In the second, serving at 3-4 and 30-40, the American hit a second serve ace to save the game. No fear. As for Raonic, he was down 0-40 the very next game, but took five straight points to stay on serve. Finally Harrison cracked and Raonic broke for the second set. In the third, Raonic tried to summon up some more magic and extend his amazing run, but as he raised his eyes to look at his coach after losing a long rally, I could see he had nothing left. Harrison took the final set 6-4, giving Raonic a well-deserved rest for the next six days or so.

I wanted to get to know the person behind the serve this week and I think I did. I didn't find out his favorite movies, his best friends on the tour, or what kind of music he listens to before a match. But I did find out that Milos Raonic is the real deal. Very talented for sure, but also smart, mature, grounded, humble, and extremely considerate of everyone around him: media, fans, opponents, officials, and ball kids alike. I'm not sure just how successful he'll be on the court, but with those qualities, you can bet he'll be successful in life.

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Photographer: Jason Wood

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Jason Wood

Jason works in Calgary, Alberta as an IT manager. A great fan of tradition and ceremony, and an aspiring student of tennis history (but tragically plagued with a horrible memory for names and dates), Jason hasn't missed a Wimbledon men's final since 1996. When not working, he can often be found reading, waiting for the snow to melt and the nets to go up, daydreaming of a 12 month tennis season. Happily his two children are inheriting his love of the game, and sadly, also his backhand.