It seems that the tennis love affair between Milos Raonic and recently hired John Mcenroe is blossoming with the Canadian speaking about his future intentions.
During this year’s French Open, it was announced that the world No. 9 will work with the 57-year-old throughout the entire grass-court season. The recruitment of Mcenroe was intended to help Raonic develop and strengthen his game throughout the grass-court season. Raonic has only played two pro matches on the grass since hiring the former Wimbledon champion, but he is already enjoying the collaboration.
“It’s fun. It’s really nice. He’s probably the most energetic 57-year-old that I know.” Raonic joked shortly after his straight sets win over Jiri Vesely at the Aegon Championships.
The pair has certainly gotten to work swiftly. During their practice sessions McEnroe has advised Raonic on the positioning of his volleys, changing the spins on his serve and how to be more proactive and aggressive early in the rallies. It seems like they have been working together for two years as suppose to less than two weeks.
As Raonic says with confidence that he is ‘playing well’ since the recruitment of McEnroe, speculation has mounted about what will happen beyond Wimbledon. Originally planned to be a short period together, Raonic has now confirmed that he is open to working longer with the former world No.1 if ‘structured in a way where it can be beneficial.’
“When I brought John on and ask if he wanted to be part of this project, there was never an intention of I wanted to be better just on the grass’. The world No.9 said.
“I think he can help me a lot during tournaments, but I think sort of with how much energy he has, he could be most beneficial for me leading up to the tournaments and then sort of helping me throughout, whether that be from up close or afar.”
There is no concrete evidence to suggest that this unexpected collaboration will go beyond Wimbledon. Raonic has acknowledged that McEnroe has a lot of other commitments and admitted that the two men have not discussed about a potential coaching relationships past the grass season.
The pairing is still peculiar to many. On one end of the spectrum, there is the highly animated McEnroe, who is not afraid to show his emotions on the court. Then on the other side there is the calm and collective Raonic. Some say opposites attract and this is extremely relevant to this so far successful Canadian-American partnership.
