Milos Raonic and Novak Djokovic (Photo : Getty Images)
Carlos Moya likened Milos Raonic to a young Novak Djokovic battling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in their prime years.
In a question and answer interview with The New York Times' Christopher Clarey, Moya revealed many things about his game plan for the 25-year-old Canadian, including working with former world No. 1 John McEnroe to hone Raonic's game. Moya, who has been mentoring Raonic since the start of the season, also compared the Canadian youngster to world No.1 Djokovic in terms of taking advantage of opportunities to attain success in the sport.
"It reminds me a bit of Djokovic when there was Federer and Nadal, always one-two, one-two. And Djokovic and Murray were chasing. And then their level dropped a little bit and Djokovic played better, and so he became No. 1 and won so many Slams," Moya said when asked about Raonic's chances for a significant achievement this season.
"I'm not saying Milos is going to win 14 Slams or 11 Slams, but it is about being there and taking advantage of your chances."
Certainly, there is great disparity between Djokovic and Raonic not only in their games, but in many aspects. At 25, Djokovic has already won five majors and reached the summit of the ATP world rankings for the second time in his career. Since then, the Serb had regular trips to the later rounds of Grand Slam event en route to becoming the most dominant tennis player in the men's singles category.
Nevertheless, Raonic has shown the potential to become a consistent top 10 player and a an unwavering rival to the Big Four of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Raonic has yet to earn a victory over Djokovic and Murray this season, but some of his performances against the Serb and the Scot were convincingly signs of his capability to play at par to their levels. Probably his most impressive feat this year was defeating Federer in a title-clinching victory at the Brisbane International in January, winning his first and only title of the season.
Raonic could be a force to reckon with in majors, although the world No. 7 has yet to get past the semifinal round of Grand Slam tournaments. At Wimbledon, he will have a chance to make his dent in the tennis scene by reaching his first finals appearance or possibly his first Grand Slam title.
