As the grass season is underway, players are putting their foot forward to excel in every department ahead of Wimbledon. For Canadian ‘ace’ player Milos Raonic, it’s his masterful and lofty serves that make him a threat to his opponents. Milos Raonic defeated British star Cameron Norrie at the ongoing Queen’s Club Championships. En route to his win, Raonic created a new world record.
Milos Raonic hit 47 aces in his match against Cameron Norrie. The Canadian beat the Brit 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) in the Round of 32 match. This is the most number of aces ever hit in a 3-set match in men’s singles tennis.
Raonic broke the record of 45 aces by Ivo Karlovic against Thomas Berdych in the 2015 Halle Open. Norrie was one of the UK’s biggest hopes in bringing home the title. But Raonic’s fast and powerful serves sealed the day.
Milos Raonic’s serves have always been his strong point. The 6 feet 5 inches tall Canadian, masterfully utilizes his large height to pack a power punch of a serve. Raonic’s strength lies in his height since he releases the ball from such lofty lengths that it becomes very difficult for his opponents to read it.
When that trajectory of the tennis ball meets sheer raw pace, an ace is almost a certainty. In a video by the ATP Tour in 2019, Raonic gave 3 tips to improve one’s serve. They are –
- The ball toss
- Making a straight line from the feet to the ball of contact during the serve
- Consistent and fluid motion.
Combining these three techniques, in addition to his 6’5″ height, Raonic’s serves are often unreadable by his opponents. He tosses the ball up, which is already at a great height, then jumps in a straight line, and hits it with all his power.
Owing to his strong forehand power game, Raonic has also suffered many injuries in his life. However, he never let that deter him from sticking to his strengths and achieving success. Raonic never compromised with his ability to hit monster serves, and maybe that’s why he made the recent world record.
His overall success record in service games is 91%, which makes him one of the best servers in the Open Era. All his contemporaries know him for his serves, something that has come in handy for him on multiple occasions.
Raonic’s career-best ranking is No.3, and he was once the Wimbledon finalist in 2016. Unfortunately, he lost to an in-form Andy Murray 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2). But the Canadian could aim for redemption this grass season and he would know where he stands as Taylor Fritz of the United States is his next opponent at Queen’s in their upcoming Round of 16 match.
