Milos Raonic is kicking off the new year with a new coach. The Canadian has brought on former World No. 4 and 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to work alongside him in 2017.
“Today was my first practice with Richard Krajicek. It’s great to have Richard, alongside my team, for the upcoming season in my attempt to reach new and higher goals for 2017,” said Raonic in a post on his Instagram account. “I worked with Richard for a few days last year before the Australian Open and I’m sure with his experience and being a Wimbledon champion, [he] can help me reach my goals. I look forward to doing great things.”
Raonic worked with former World No. 1 and 1999 Roland Garros champion Carlos Moya during the 2016 season, jumping from No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current career-high standing of No. 3. His banner year included a semi-final showing at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he fell to eventual champion Andy Murray. In addition to reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, Raonic also prevailed at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and finished runner-up at both the Aegon Championships and BNP Paribas Open.
Krajicek is no stranger to coaching the world’s best players, having been hired by reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka for this year’s grass-court season. The Dutchman also serves as director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Raonic will open his 2017 campaign by defending his title in Brisbane on 1 January. Having reached the semi-finals at last year’s Australian Open, the Canadian will be aiming to start his season with a flourish Down Under.
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