WILL JOHN SERVE THE NET GAIN?

First Moya and now McEnroe. The towering Canadian has added another former world number one to his team. John McEnroe will be seen assisting Milos Raonic during the current grass court season. The two have already made a winning start at the Aegon Championships.

The American, who’s a seven-time major champion and a three time winner at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, believes that Raonic is one of those players who will present a solid contention for the title at this year’s Championships.

“He’s only been in the third round here, besides the one semi. If you had called me two months ago and said: ‘Name six or seven guys that can win Wimbledon,’ – and I think that’s how many can win Wimbledon – I would put him as one of those guys. Obviously at the moment he’s the sixth or seventh likely guy to do it. But things can happen and you never know. Hopefully I’ll make a positive difference.”

Raonic has always been good at the baseline. His serves are his most important weapon, especially on grass. What the Canadian has lacked in his game is swift movement on court, thanks to his structure and some decent touches at the net. McEnroe knows this and has already started working on the volleying skills of the 2014 semi-finalist.

“Most of the time [the talk] is about positioning on the volleys, where to be, especially when you see a guy maybe sort of off-balance or which angles to cover,” Raonic said. “We have also worked a lot on being quick to realize opportunities to move forward or be aggressive earlier in points.”

McEnroe coached Boris Becker in 1993. It wasn’t a successful partnership by any standards, but it’ll be interesting to see the tactical plans these two deploy if Novak Djokovic and Milos Raonic happen to meet during the fortnight.

A player renowned for his skills at the net, McEnroe is a great addition to the team of someone who is yet to cash in on his talent. Milos has already given hints to his intentions of extending his partnership with the 57 year old beyond Wimbledon. Whether John McEnroe’s presence pays dividends to Raonic’s dream of a maiden Grand Slam or whether he was better off being in the commentary box will be something to keep an eye on.

There is no denying the fact that the Canadian is a potential threat at London and his fresh looking team has already drawn eyeballs on his preparations and prospects in the coming days.  A semi-finalist Down Under this year, Raonic will be hoping that McEnroe could help him with the delicacies of the game, after all tennis is much more than baseline hitting and rocket serves!