Raonic sets his laser-like sights on a Grand Slam title

Milos Raonic is fresh off his biggest career breakthrough. By upsetting Roger Federer in five dramatic sets at Wimbledon, he became the first Canadian male to reach a Grand Slam final. But that wasn’t enough for the 25-year-old, not even close.

“It's great to sort of be at the center, and front of that, come Sunday,” he said after his win over the 17-time Grand Slam champion. “I'm glad that I've sort of been leading this charge, the first one to break through and really put these things together.

“But I'm by no means done.”

After reaching the final of Queen’s Club (where he fell to Andy Murray), the world No. 7 was on a roll going into the third major of the year. He would lose again to Murray in the final, but Raonic showed the world a few of his cards: stubborn determination in the face of immense challenge—he was down two sets to love in the fourth round to David Goffin—and an ability to compete with blinders on. (He made beating a seven-time Wimbledon champion on Centre Court look like just another day at the office.)

“I'm going to try to get fitter, stronger," Raonic said after the loss to Murray at Wimbledon. "I'm going to try to improve my return game, improve my serve. I can improve there. Improve my efficiency coming forward. There's not one thing that I'm not going to try to improve.”

While some players are coy about revealing their goals, Raonic has been refreshingly open when talking about his—something that can be attributed to his confident character.

“My biggest goal this year is to make a breakthrough at a Slam, to win one of the four… ” he told Baseline in Miami earlier this year.

His mature composure on and off the court can be credited, in part, to his parents, Dusan and Vesna. Raonic was born in Montenegro on December 27, 1990, during a time of civil unrest, and his family resettled in Canada when he was just three years old. Neither of his parents played tennis, but their support of their son is undeniable.

“They've been the most significant role,” Raonic said in London. “I think the thing I'm most grateful about is they've always, since day one, is they've told me they don't know anything about tennis. They've put me in the hands of people, from a young age, that they believed could help me and sort of stayed away from it.”

Raonic, living in Monte Carlo with the best resources at his disposal, has done an incredible job during his pro career of surrounding himself with an esteemed coaching staff. He worked with Ivan Ljubicic during his breakthrough into the Top 10, and now has a team that includes both Carlos Moya and John McEnroe.

The 6'5" Canadian is not as mouthy or exciting as Nick Kyrgios or Jack Sock, nor is he as explosively passionate as Rafael Nadal or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Instead, Raonic embraces his stoic, workhorse approach, and never apologizes for it.

Playing in a Wimbledon final on Centre Court, Raonic didn’t marvel at the occasion. His just directed his laser-like focus on playing the game he’s been practicing since the age of eight.

“I don't think the moment ever really caught on,” he said. “I think I just, maybe in a mundane way, sort of looked at it as just another match. This match felt like a much greater opportunity than anything, but it never felt that much different than anything.”

The Monte Carlo resident has plenty of quirks: the sleeve (that’s now gone), the mouthguard (that he says will never be gone), the gelled hairstyle (that never moves) and the unconventional service motion. (Who can argue with service speeds topping 145 m.p.h.?) In London, he insisted on using his own white towel instead of the famous Wimbledon ones. The little things matter to him.

“When I pulled on the sleeve it was pretty much a way of telling myself, 'It’s match time,'” he said about the once-famous arm décor. “It may sound silly, but I think it’s kind of part of my preparatory routine.”

Routine and preparation are things that work for Raonic. He’s a well-oiled machine who produces results in a repetitive, consistent manner, much like his numerous aces per match. Though some may think of him as boring, the correct adjective is determined. He hones in on his goals and doesn’t let anything distract him from them; it’s something to be admired, not lamented.

“I just wanted to achieve things," Raonic said in Miami. "The way that I was raised, the way that I was told, was don’t compare yourself to others ... My parents always told me to compare yourself to the best, and I think that’s sort of how I envisioned my progress forward, what I always needed to work on and the things that I would like to achieve.”

He has achieved plenty already, as the most successful male Canadian tennis player in history with two major semifinal appearances on top of his finalist finish at Wimbledon earlier this summer. Earlier this year, he won his eighth ATP title in Brisbane by beating Federer in the final.

But as Raonic has said, by no means is he done. The hunt for a Grand Slam title is still very much the focus. This summer, his sights are first set on competing at the Rogers Cup in his home country. Having pulled out of Rio citing Zika concerns, he will then turn his attention to New York City, where he has an apartment in Manhattan.

"New York City works well for me," he said.

It could work well enough to become the site of his first major.