The rise of Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic
With no hockey as a distraction, there’s no doubt sports fans north of the border will tune in to the U.S. Open in record numbers with Canadian players poised for breakthroughs in the season’s final major.
Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard are ranked among the top 10 in the world and are considered among the leading contenders for the men’s and women’s trophies after impressive work at Wimbledon.
Raonic, ranked No. 6, fell to Roger Federer in the semifinals at the All England Club, while eighth-ranked Bouchard lost in the final to Petra Kvitova.
Canadians have never had the pleasure of both men’s and women’s players of this caliber challenging at one of the Grand Slam tournaments. This might be just the start. Raonic, 23, and Bouchard, 20, are products of a long-term development plan by Tennis Canada, which has produced results quicker than expected.
Watching Raonic beat Vasek Pospisil in an all-Canadian final in Washington, D.C., in early August provided the country’s tennis program with some congratulatory backslapping.
“I would say there is no more exciting time for tennis in this country than right now, and I think there’s no more exciting sport than tennis in this country right now,” said Tennis Canada President Kelly Murumets, who took over the role March 1. “Some mornings I get up, and I think all I can do is take it down.”
Tennis Canada’s success means its budget has jumped from $3.5 million to $12 million in the last decade. Playing and training facilities have multiplied and improved, while government and sponsor funding has grown. Canada has as many players in the men’s top 50 — two — as the USA, with John Isner the top American at No. 15.
When Raonic defeated thenNo. 36 countryman Pospisil in Washington, he called it “the second-biggest thing for Canadian tennis.”
The biggest? Becoming the first Canadian to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon in more than 100 years.
“If I can be at that semifinal position (again), I would definitely approach things differently than I did (at Wimbledon) and hopefully deal with things better,” Raonic said.
“Obviously when I look at a big picture there are a lot of great things from it from myself, but I was very frustrated with the way things ended off.”
Raonic’s booming serve and attacking game put him in conten- tion for a deep run at the U.S. Open, with the hardcourt surface providing the Montenegro-born player with the perfect springboard for using his power game.
Raonic’s six ATP titles have come on hard courts.
“That’s where he feels he needs to be and wants to be, and I think that aura, having that, is a big factor if you’re going to get yourself back into these situations,” Federer said of Raonic’s Wimbledon run. “And I felt like he was really happy being there but not happy that he lost. That’s the kind of attitude you want to see. That’s the winner mentality.
“Interesting times ahead for him, no doubt.”
But if Raonic hopes to challenge Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Federer and the hierarchy of the men’s game, he’ll need to step up in New York. The 6-5 right- hander is a combined 0-21 against the five players ahead of him in the rankings.
“I think with his game, he’s always going to be dangerous for the top guys,” Federer said. “But belief is not enough. You have to pull through. It’s nice talking about it, but at the end they’ve got to do it.”
Bouchard has struggled to cope with the added pressures that followed her Wimbledon final appearance.
Nerves overcame her in a second-round loss at her home event in Montreal this month. She failed to bounce back in Cincinnati, where she also lost in the second round.
Bouchard — who has her own international fan club, the Genie Army — has been able to tune out the distractions at the majors, where she is the only woman to have reached all three semifinals this year.
“I think she always had great potential. She proved it (at Wimbledon),” said five-time major champion Martina Hingis. “She always really peaks at the Grand Slams, which shows that she can be a true champion.”
But Bouchard also is dependent on a major breakthrough.
She is 3-11 against the players ahead of her in the rankings, including 1-7 against the top five.
“I’ve had a lot of pressure,” Bouchard said after her exit in Montreal. “I need to get used to dealing with (it).”
Broadcaster TSN — Canada’s equivalent to ESPN — expects the record TV numbers generated by Raonic and Bouchard’s Wimbledon run to increase when the U.S. Open starts today, the same day it launches three new sports channels in conjunction with the tournament.
There has never been coverage, nor expectations, quite like this.