Race is on for Raonic to reach next level

AGE is just a number at the top end of men’s tennis.

Yet Milos Raonic, at the relatively tender age of 26, is already wondering if his Grand Slam chances are numbered.

Forget the fact Roger Federer, 35, and Rafa Nadal, 31, have ripped up the record books once again this year by winning the Australian and French Opens respectively.

Those triumphs, achieved late on in the pair’s glittering careers, suggest the young hopefuls have plenty of time on their side as they look to make their breakthrough.

But Raonic finds no comfort in those stats.

The 6ft 5ins Canadian has long been considered the next big thing on the ATP planet, with many regularly touting him as a future Grand Slam champion.

However, while he has reached as high as No.3 in the world and was runner-up to Andy Murray in SW19 last year, he is still to fulfil those predictions.

And that is starting to irritate Raonic and make him a little anxious.

On the eve of Wimbledon 2017, the sixth seed said: “No, I don’t feel I’m too young to win a Grand Slam.

“I’m 26 and though I’m not pushing those sort of numbers of Federer and Nadal, I feel I’m getting old. I feel like time is running out.”

Not that Montenegro-born Raonic is resigned to failure quite yet – or even close to giving up on his holy grail as the clock continues to tick.

“That’s actually my greatest motivation to put in the work and to make myself better tomorrow than I was today,” he said.

“To achieve those goals of winning Wimbledon and the big tournaments is a process and no process worth having happens quickly.”

Despite the urge to rush, Raonic – who crashed out of Queen’s at the first hurdle – knows he must, ironically, be prepared to wait his turn.

He said: “I force that patience on myself and believe in the process. Hopefully, the outcome is where I want it to be.”

There is plenty of support on hand should he require it – including from his one-time coach John McEnroe.

The pair split in August last year after four months but continue to enjoy a healthy relationship.

Raonic, who is in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic and Federer and faces German Jan-Lennard Struff, 27, in the first round, added: “John’s a good friend.

“He’s asked me over to his place a few times and we’ve had some long conversations together. He’s been great.”