Milos Raonic
Season in review: Raonic won 49 matches during the regular season, a stellar number but also only four more than he had won in each of the two previous seasons. So what made the difference in qualifying for London for the first time in his career? The answer is simple: Grand Slam results. The eighth-ranked Canadian had never previously reached the quarterfinals of a major and had lost prior to a third round at least once in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2014, Raonic reached at least the third round of all four slams, including a quarterfinal at Roland Garros and a semifinal at the U.S. Open.
Season in review: Raonic won 49 matches during the regular season, a stellar number but also only four more than he had won in each of the two previous seasons. So what made the difference in qualifying for London for the first time in his career? The answer is simple: Grand Slam results. The eighth-ranked Canadian had never previously reached the quarterfinals of a major and had lost prior to a third round at least once in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2014, Raonic reached at least the third round of all four slams, including a quarterfinal at Roland Garros and a semifinal at the U.S. Open.With consecutive quarterfinals in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo followed by his Grand Slam success, Raonic seemed to be in good shape for the World Tour Finals heading into the fall. A virus and general poor play suddenly made things interesting and forced the 23-year-old to make a deep run in Paris in order to qualify. He did just that, finishing runner-up to secure his spot in the elite field of eight.
2014 record: 49-18
Fall record (post-U.S. Open): 12-5
Best tournament: Wimbledon semifinals
d. Matthew Ebden 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
d. Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
d. Lukasz Kubot 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-2
d. Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-3
d. Nick Kyrgios 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(4)
l. to Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Biggest win at different tournament: d. Roger Federer 7-6(5), 7-5 in Paris quarterfinals
World Tour Finals appearances: 0
World Tour Finals record: N/A
Record against other World Tour Finals qualifiers: 9-20
vs. Novak Djokovic: 0-4
vs. Roger Federer: 1-6*
vs. Stan Wawrinka: 0-3
vs. Kei Nishikori: 1-4*
vs. Novak Djokovic: 0-4
vs. Roger Federer: 1-6*
vs. Stan Wawrinka: 0-3
vs. Kei Nishikori: 1-4*
vs. Andy Murray: 3-1*
vs. Tomas Berdych: 3-1
vs. Marin Cilic: 1-1
*denotes in the same group
Quotable: “It’s great being the first Canadian (to make the World Tour Finals in singles). It was such a big goal for me. Last year I missed it by two spots. I didn’t want to be in that position again this year. To have made the most of that and now in the last week to qualify for it is special. To be playing the way I am is good.”
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