Milos Raonic's Serve Close Up in Video

Rising tennis star Milos Raonic has one of the best serves, already rivaling those of John Isner and Ivo Karlovic.

I cobbled together this video of Raonic's serve from images I took during Raonic's semifinal-and-final matches when he won his first title last week at the SAP Open, dethroning world number nine, Fernando Verdasco, whom he beat again yesterday in Memphis. This includes slow-motion at 120 frames-per-second and stop-action segments, using a couple of times of cameras at varying resolutions. 

To best view this video, please click the four-arrow box in the lower right to enlarge, then select "720p", also in the lower right, to see in higher resolution. 

Karlovic’s is flatter and, thus, quicker while Isner’s appears heavier to me, but Raonic's serve already has more variety than either of those veterans. 

Raonic can reach 151 MPH but more important is how he mixes it up, choosing from a wicked twist serve, slice at a variety of speeds, and a tough second serve he's not afraid to go for at any time in a match. 

He seems mature beyond his years. When he started out one match hitting at 149 MPH, he slowed down his serve to better hit his spots, as he explained it later. 

Raonic has a classic, almost old-fashioned motion similar to that of his idol, Peter Sampras or Roger Federer's, although with less shoulder/ trunk turn.

There is none of the complex back-foot step and twist that is touted for young, competitive players. He keeps his feet apart, giving him fewer gyrations, a stable base and a less complex process than is generally taught today. Interestingly, Sampras and Federer both go more for accurate placement than outright speed, something Raonic has mentioned in his pressers, although it gets overlooked in the race for MPHs. 

Although Raonic gets excellent extension, he doesn't lean into the court nearly as far as either Isner or Karlovic. 

He changes his toss for his second serve, pulling it further back. I couldn't see a variation in his toss for the various first serves, but I was sitting on the baseline, which is not well suited for seeing changes to the left or right. 

Items to look for in the video: Raonic has a live shoulder, uses extreme pronation, and has a somewhat unusual service-grip, an Eastern backhand with his long, bony index finger extended around the racquet like Captain Hook. 

We'll see how Raonic's body holds up on the tour; Verdasco described seeing him in the locker room as "These long legs, {with} a 12-year-old boy on top." 

There's discussion online about whether his racquet is a WIlson K Blade or a more obscure H22 with a Blade paint job, and some posters say he uses M2 Lux strung at only 42/44 pounds. Photo and video  ©jfawcette

Bonus video: Milos Raonic pronouncing his own name:

 

 

Comments

[Warren Yamaguchi]

Good video quality. Raonic really jumps into the serve and lands quite deep inside the court.

Some of the text goes by a little too quick.

Great comments.

[Jim McLennan]

how can we get in touch re tennis

[Jon Fausett]

if you watch closely you will notice that Raonic slides his index finger down the grip to a more closed finger grip before he goes into his upward swing