Milos Raonic surprised the tennis world with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 defeat of defending champion Roger Federer in the ATP 250 Brisbane final. The Tennis Review looks back at five interesting things about the world No.14 ‘s victory.
1.The win marks only Raonic’s second victory in eleven matches against Federer
Raonic’s only victory over Federer before this Brisbane win was another straight setter- 7-6, 7-5- in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Paris Masters.
Although Raonic trailed Federer 1-9 before their Brisbane final, Raonic had pushed Federer in many of his losses- most notably in last year’s Brisbane final- and had taken four sets off Federer in his nine losses, and lost four sets on tiebreakers.
With both men having such effective serves, their matches are decided on just a couple of points here and there. Federer’s better all round game, shot selection and the experience he brings to the big points have usually made the difference which is what made him the favorite to win the match.
2.Raonic did not play his best but played better than Federer
Raonic was not a total underdog, though. The Canadian had proven he could beat Federer and his serve and attacking game, which work so well on the Brisbane hard courts, made Raonic the man most likely to defeat Federer in Brisbane.
A Raonic win would, we thought, be possible, but it would be a tough task- if Federer played his best tennis, then Raonic would have to deliver a career best performance to get the win.
Federer, however, did not play near his best, which can be just as tricky to come up against, but Raonic responded perfectly- he did not produce his best either, Federer never demanded it, but Raonic did something just as vital- he played the better tennis of the two.
Most crucially, Raonic played the better tennis on the big points. In the first set, Federer was struggling on serve, compiling just 46% of first serves in, and at 4-4, the Swiss was break point down for the fourth time. Raonic did not do much on that point- he hit a backhand return mid-court to Federer’s backhand, followed it up with a deep inside out forehand rally ball to Federer’s feet, then repeated that shot to earn the break as Federer netted a forehand down the line.
The rally was nothing spectacular shot-making wise, but it was solid, asked questions of the shaky Federer ground game, and most importantly, it was better than what Federer was producing.
With that decisive break, Raonic kept his cool and served out the first set to 30.
At 3-3 in the second set, Federer looked to be in control of his serve at 30-0, but Raonic hung in there for 30-30 and then hung in there some more when he picked up a forehand behind the baseline, got it back short to Federer’s forehand. The Swiss looked to have the point won but instead hit an error down the line to give Raonic break point. All the Canadian had done was get the ball back in play, and against a struggling Federer that was all he had to do.
The next point was one of the biggest Raonic would play- a break point against Federer when leading by a set in one of the Australian Open’s biggest warm up events. Raonic got his racket on a service down the line, hit a forehand cross court, and then went down the line on the forehand, striking the ball so flat and deep that it produced a Federer error and all important break of the Federer serve. Everything fell into place for Raonic on that point- his great movement, footwork, and his attacking, positive mindset, and he was on the verge of a career best win.
At 5-4, Raonic held championship point. This time his signature stroke, the shot that has helped him earn the reputation as one of the next big things in tennis, did the hard work for him as he struck a first serve to the Federer backhand and got the service winner to seal his first win over one of the big four in an ATP final.
Watch highlights of Raonic’s Brisbane final win over Federer in the video below.
3.Raonic won 20 of 25 points at the net
That might be the most significant stat of them all from this win. The only way to defeat Federer in a straightforward manner on hard courts is to out-attack him.
Raonic delivered on that front. The Canadian won 20 of 25 points at the net while Federer compiled an unusually low 7 of ten ratio. Raonic was helped by Federer not making passing shots he would on a good day, but the previous year’s finalist played with such confidence you have to think he might have got his racket on those passing shots anyway.
4.The win is an ATP 250 but worth a 1000 in confidence before the Australian Open
The 2016 Brisbane title is Raonic’s eighth title and his seventh ATP 250 trophy.
While the title might not be his biggest- he won the ATP 500 Washington 2014 title- it is his most important one considering the opponent he defeated in the final, the significance the event has as one of the few pre-Australian Open warm up events, and the confidence it will give him going into the season’s first slam after a nine month spell troubled by injury.
5.Raonic is now back to where he left off when he was injured
Back before Raonic started having injury problems in the spring of ’15, the Canadian was up to world No.4 (11.05.2-15), had an ATP 500 title and a Wimbledon semi-final on his 12 month resume, had earned a first career win over Rafa Nadal at Indian Wells, and pushed Federer close in a tight semi-final.
Raonic’s much improved all round game and step by step breakthroughs had many fans hopeful that the talented 24 year old was going to deliver on the promise he showed when he broke into the top 100 a month after his 20th birthday. But his injury troubles had many worried all his hard work might not pay off.
Raonic’s Brisbane final win over Federer means that his progress is not derailed after all- with both men at the stages of their careers, this probably should have been the result anyway.
It was the result of a lot of hard work, an intelligent strategy, and a lot of heart. A hungry heart. Listen to the roar of Raonic after he got the win and you will know just how hungry he is. The Canadian has a huge appetite when it comes to tennis – expect to hear that roar again.
What did you find most interesting about Milos Raonic’s win over Roger Federer in the Brisbane final? Let us know in the comments box below.
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