The Canadian’s childhood coach spoke to the ATP about the return to the slopes of his former pupil, who reached the round of 16 at the Toronto 2023 ATP.
ATP Canada Draw
ATP Canada results
Milos Raonic He has returned to the circuit with force ATP. The Canadian, current number 545 of the world, was eliminated from the individual draw of the ATP in Toronto, but not for this reason his adventure at home has been less spectacular. With two wins under his belt, one of them against top10 Frances Tiafoe, the gunboat of Montenegrin origin, has once again felt like a tennis player after more than two years involved in recurring physical problems that almost made his return to the courts bitter.
One of the people who knows him quite well is Casey Curtisthe coach who instructed him in the ocho until the 17 years. In statements collected on the official ATP website, Curtis is not surprised by the good level shown by Raonic in his return, stating that he knew that the Canadian would not return until he felt really prepared.
Curtis reviewed the beginnings of his former pupil, with whom he worked in the Blackmore Tennis Club Richmond Hilljust a few kilometers from Sobeys Stadium, the venue of the Toronto tournament. The Californian trainer revealed the change in Raonic’s work ethic as he got older and his decision to focus mostly on serving, given the Canadian’s great height.
No surprises at Raonic’s level
«I feel really happy for him. We have been in contact for the last two years and I know that it has been a difficult thing for him. I knew he would come back prepared. He is not the type of player who will try to compete to get back in shape. He’s going to make sure is prepared before jumping on the court and that is precisely what we are seeing«.
The beginnings of Milos
«I was eight years old and I was working the ball machine at 10:00 at night. At 6:00 in the morning she was back with his father trying to forge his game to join the group I was training with. He trained him in a particular way and they worked with the ball machine. That was the case for about three months. Then he got better, but he developed his work ethic at 11, 12 or 13 years old. I think then he understood what was implied. It’s not that he didn’t have a work ethic, he always did. but cHe began to be more aware of the effort it would take to get what he now has. And he was more than willing to do it once he understood it.«.
your work ethic
«You say to guys starting out, ‘listen, this is what you need to do if you want to improve your game and become a great player.’ They will last a couple of weeks. If it’s something like getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning, they’ll think they’re capable and they’ll come at it for a couple of weeks. After that, you won’t see them again for a while or ever again. Milos had that perseverance. He kept coming, striving and that’s why it is where it is«.
Service preference
«I sensed that he would be a tall guy because all the members of his family are tall. His father is tall, his brother is tall, his first and his uncles are tall. There was a good chance that Milos had a great height. Everyone knows how important service is. But specifically, if you have a tall player, I thought it was prudent to spend time on the serve.
His conversation with another coach about Raonic’s serve
“I told him, ‘listen, I want this guy to average 15 aces a game. If he is able to do it, I think he has options to be an elite professional. The other day she connected 37 and today she has achieved 15«.
Convinced that he will return to the top
«He obviously wants to play. He wants to keep competing. I think he can see that he has the ability to play at the highest level.. They have to ask her where she thinks she’s going to end up, but nothing would surprise me. This guy is one of the few players who can beat the top two«.
2023-08-14 21:07:07
#Casey #Curtis #knew #Raonic #prepared
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