Milos Raonic and John McEnroe: Is This A Good Idea?
While we are on the subject of coaching, there’s this. Milos Raonic, ranked 9th in the world, is teaming up with tennis’s legendary bad boy, John McEnroe. McEnroe is going to serve as a consultant for Raonic during the grass court season. Is this good for Raonic?
At this point, I would consider trying almost anything or anybody to stop Djokovic. Sure, Milos Raonic has put together a nice season this year. But, at 25 he is not getting any younger and should try to seize this moment. Dominic Thiem has started to rival him for best player born in the 1990s.
I wouldn’t say Thiem has eclipsed him because Thiem has only been to one semifinal in a Grand Slam event while Raonic has been to two. Plus, Raonic has made the final at three ATP Masters 1000 events, including this year at Indian Wells. Of course, he did lose to Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-0 at Indian Wells. Against a different opponent he might have had a shot because I’m not sure anybody was beating Djokovic.
More from ATP
- Tennis News: Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu and protected rankings
- Tracy Austin says future of tennis is player other than Carlos Alcaraz
- Former Serena Williams coach has harsh words for Rafael Nadal
- Tennis News: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and ATP Awards
- Djokovic-inspired Medjedovic defeats Fils to take ATP Next Gen title
Back to McEnroe. Aside from his infamous temper, he did win Wimbledon three times, so he should have some knowledge about grass to impart to Raonic. Additionally, some other top-flight players have benefited from hiring big-name coaches. For example, Djokovic and Boris Becker, Roger Federer and Stefan Edberg, and Andy Murray with Ivan Lendl. The most notable dud from a big-name coach was Jimmy Connors lasting a grand total of one match with Maria Sharapova.
Next: Rafael Nadal Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury
I could definitely see Raonic making a small run at Wimbledon. After all, he’s had a good season so far. And, according to an ESPN article, McEnroe wants Raonic to serve and volley more and to be more aggressive. In the same article, Raonic said he wants to extend the partnership beyond the grass court season. At this point, I definitely think that McEnroe could help Raonic at Wimbledon and beyond. He has the right type of style to help Raonic and big-name coaches on the men’s side have worked for the top players.