If you want a definition of incremental improvement, look no further than Milos Raonic. The male leader of the Canadian tennis boom has added one upgrade after another to an already potent game, slowly working his way to the career-high ranking of No. 6 he hit last July. But that wasn’t his true apex, despite what the ATP computer spit out. That came in October in Bercy, when he faced Roger Federer. Needing a win to reach the World Tour Finals, Raonic crafted a straight-sets triumph over the world No. 2, who himself needed the win to maintain a realistic shot of ending the year at No. 1.
Whether Raonic can reach such heights remains to be seen, but he’s trending upward. Demonstrating consistency on all surfaces—a tribute to an increasingly judicious use of his booming serve and vicious inside-out forehand—Raonic has improved his movement and also shored up his backhand, no longer leery of using it to go down the line.