There is no doubt Milos Raonic is on the verge of winning a major title. The game is there. The weaponry and arsenal are sufficient. But something is missing and I think I know what it is. Raonic does not use emotional adrenaline. He does not show the fire and fury and ‘get down and dirty’ intensity that all the top players freely and uninhibitedly show while they fight for what they must have. Raonic plays tennis like he’s wearing a tuxedo and top hat. He doesn’t want to get down and dirty or mess up his hair. But the volcanic intensity is there inside Raonic – he showed it when he smashed his racquet after blowing the fourth set to Andy at the Australian Open semifinal. That was a negative display of fire. If Raonic wants to go all the way and stand atop the mountain top he has to express and show his fire and fury and volcanic intensity in a positive way. Like Djokovic does when need be. Like Nadal does. Like even Federer does on rare occasion – how about that wild outburst by Roger when he won the set vs Djokovic at the US Open? Raonic has to become comfortable to show these emotions Like Serena. If Raonic wants to be the best he has to roar like a lion and want it like he’s a man possessed. We know he wants it that much. He has dedicated his life to this quest to be the best. He’s not happy being no 4 or 5 or 3 – we know Raonic wants to be no 1. And he has all the personality and ambassadorial qualities to be that. But when I watch Raonic – though I like him a lot – I don’t feel an urge or emotional connection for him or really want to see him win it like I did for young Rafa Fed or Djokovic. But if Raonic showed us how desperately he wants it – instead of concealing those desires and emotions – the crowds will feel for him and help push him more. Consider Todd Martin. He was another top ten player who just did not show the emotions and fire and fury. He played nice tennis. But that one night down two sets to Carlos Moya at the US Open in their famous night match Todd suddenly turned into a wide eyed psycho showing all kinds of uncharacteristic and crazy emotions and guess what? Todd came back and beat Carlos in five sets. I believe Raonic needs to fine tune his on court emotional demeanor and Carlos Moya should consider and discuss the Martin battle with Raonic. Tennis is too tough and too physical now to just do it without showing your fire and fury and fierce emotions. To be the best you have to roar like a lion on the court. –Scoop Malinowski
Emotional adrenaline is his unused weapon
Andrew Miller · February 1, 2016 at 7:21 pm
Raonic is due. I’m a believer after seeing him in the Australian. He is 25, 35% better than his previous best. He is moving better than I thought he was capable of. And he hired Moya. He’s about to depose Nadal, Federer and Murray. By years end he could be #2 in the world – and slam champ.
Jayita · February 1, 2016 at 7:50 pm
Nice piece scoop, yeah I agree more intensity and emotional display could propel Raomic’s career much further along, otherwise its abit like watching a robot shuffle around the court. I kinda saw glimpses of his raw emotions coming out during the Murray match at the AO and for the first time, I actually started cheering for the guy. Hes a smart man, I think he will figure this out.
Scoop Malinowski · February 2, 2016 at 7:01 am
Thanks Jayita – I tweeted this article to Raonic and moya so they should figure it out 🙂 Hey if Todd martin could unleash his emotions like a wild man (even if for only one match which he won vs moya) then so too can Raonic – He’s so close to the top SO CLOSE – he deserves to win at least one major and then he will be a part of history —
Scoop Malinowski · February 2, 2016 at 7:07 am
Andrew: his movement is better and everything is better but he still looks like a player who only plays tennis – I mean it looks like he could broaden his athleticism and range of motion and movement by doing other sports and activities like boxing shadowboxing disco dancing hockey etc – his rigid movements look like all he does is tennis – that little extra diversifying and broadening of his athleticism could just give him that little extra in crunch time – Id like to see him to boxing and hitting the mitts with all different kinds of combinations and uppercuts and left hooks and also shadowboxing and turning and spinning ducking and throwing triple left hooks and five punch combos – I could see this translating into better more complete tennis athleticism —
Hartt · February 2, 2016 at 2:19 pm
I understand how his showing more emotion on court would help him connect with fans, but trying to keep an even keel emotionally on the court is something he has worked on. Apparently when he was a young player he had a temper and showed his emotions more, but he found that interfered with his play and decided to change that. Federer went through a similar process when he was a young player.
I hope Milos is OK to play in the Celebrity NBA game that will take place in a few days. If you want to see him super excited, watch an interview where he is asked about that. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · February 2, 2016 at 8:54 pm
Positive emotions Hartt – like a lion roaring – fist pumps to pump himself up – emotional adrenaline is a source of energy and fuel that he is not utilizing –
catherine bell · February 3, 2016 at 9:49 am
Health warning ! Adrenaline in the body can have very strange effects.
(I’ll keep an eye on Raonic – and I loved his comments on the art exhibition he went to while in Melbourne)
Andrew Miller · February 3, 2016 at 10:18 am
Maybe Moya has pushed Raonic on the footwork – something allowed him to be in the right place to beat faster and slower players. The version of Raonic in Australia, whether Brisbane or Melbourne, was not the plodding Raonic I’m used to.
Scoop Malinowski · February 3, 2016 at 2:27 pm
Catherine: Emotional adrenaline is a secret weapon – maria serena rafa hewitt all used it to optimum benefits – most players don’t use it or dont understand it or aren’t comfortable expressing it – intelligent use of it can lift your game to a new level – I always remember a tourney match I had in Rockland Cty NY and was down 3-5 and the opponent did a couple of things to tick me off and from then I played very emotional and intense yelling come awns and fist pumps and guess what I won the next ten straight games and won the match 7-5 6-0 – true story – and I have noticed several top pros tap into this energy source most notably Serena Hewitt Rafa Djokovic and Sharapova –
Scoop Malinowski · February 3, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Raonic looks plodding because his range of motions are limited – I think he can become more agile like Janowicz – by studying the UFC fighter Conor mcgregor’s training regimen where focus on developing various different movements and movement skills is a key component of his training –
q10 · February 3, 2016 at 7:42 pm
has milos even beaten novak? I think if they clash before a final in a grand slam this year milos has a chance of making a surprise upset of the #1 player ….
Scoop Malinowski · February 4, 2016 at 8:14 am
No – Raonic has never beaten Djokovic – Tomic has a win over Djokovic in Hop Cup –
Hartt · February 4, 2016 at 1:21 pm
What works for some players may not work for others. Raonic has said that expressing emotions, both positive and negative, interfered with how he played. He has talked about how this season he is calmer on court (presumably he was more emotional than he was showing before) and that is helping his game. It was one of the things he wanted to get from Moya.
I wish Piatti was getting some praise for Raonic’s improvement. They put in a lot of work together in the off season and Moya did not start working as his coach until shortly before the Aussie Open, but Moya is getting all the credit.
Scoop Malinowski · February 4, 2016 at 6:54 pm
Hartt – Raonic saying “expressing emotions interfered with how he played” sounds like he’s uncomfortable with expressing emotions or he does not know how to properly manage his emotions – sounds like it’s a flaw in his overall arsenal – I believe if he learns how to use and channel his emotional adrenaline at the right times in the right ways he will win that elusive major –