This week, the ATP calendar has 3 events on the roll. While most top players are off the Tennis court preparing for the North American outdoor session from Indian Wells and Miami, other are trying to regain their pace. Among them, Milos Raonic chose to play at Delray Beach Open in Florida and so far is doing quite well. The Canadian, the world no. 4, is the no. 1 seed in Florida and he seems eager to respect his status as he put in a solid game of tennis this week.
Raonic ousted Borna Coric
The 2016 Wimbledon runner-up recorded the 2nd victory in Florida as a result of a great display of power and sharpness against Borna Coric.
The 20-years-old Croatian is yet to confirm his status as an ATP rising star. The match was mostly under Raonic's will. The opening set went on a single side having the Canadian in charge. He took the opener in just 35 minutes of play by 6-3. The 2nd set had a sloppy start from both sides as the two competitors lost their first service game. After that, Raonic found out his rhythm and despite reaching a tie-break, he controlled the whole situation. The tie-break saw a dominant Raonic allowing only 2 points to his opponent.
As he moved into the quarterfinals, Raonic showed some signs of a more consistent game after a poor performance against Nadal at the Australian Open. For the next encounter at Delray Beach, he is set to play against Kyle Edmund (49 ATP), a 22-years-old British player widely seen as the new hope of British men's tennis.
It'll be the first time they'll compete against each other in an ATP level tournament.
Raonic is far from his potential
Back in 2016, things went quite well for Raonic, but each time he failed to deliver in the critical moments. He did win a title at 2016 Brisbane but in Grand Slams he unexpectedly sank. At 2016 Australian Open despite being ahead he lost to Murray.
At Indian Wells, he seemed on the verge of doing something great by reaching the final. There it was Djokovic, but even so, Milos' tennis was rather poor. Then, it was the grass court swing and his amazing run in Wimbledon where he reached the final, his maiden Grand Slam final, after beating Federer in the semis. Once again, he could not live up to the expectations and put a little resistance on the tennis court allowing Murray to win his 2nd Wimbledon.
The concerning part is that the time is ticking fast and the gap available for him to win at least a Grand Slam is fading away.