20 questions: Milos Raonic

Listing mediocrity as his biggest frustration, it is no secret that the world No.6 Milos Raonic is determined to get the most out of his talent. As he makes a return to the ATP World Tour in Istanbul this week, we get to know the big-serving Canadian a bit better in our 20 questions series…

What is the greatest benefit of being famous?
It’s easier to get dinner reservations.

What quality do you most like in other people?
A continuous desire and ambition to be better.

What annoys or frustrates you the most?
Mediocrity.

What do you most like in yourself?
My dedication to be better each and every day.

What do you dislike in yourself?
I sometimes over think it.

What has been your best moment on a tennis court?
I think those days – it can be numerous ones – when the training and the progress really come together. It might not be the prettiest match of yours or necessarily the best, but it’s the one when things really come together for you. Every aspect of what you work on, physical, on-court, mental comes together and you can scrap out a win. One match that comes to mind is the five-set (fourth round) match I was winning against Stan (Wawrinka) in Australia (in 2016).

What has been your worst moment on a tennis court?
Probably the way I felt in the semifinals in Australia 2016 (against Andy Murray), just because I felt like I was doing so many things well and I felt hopeless against my own self.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself when your career started?
I’d train completely differently. I guess I just went with what I knew. I’d stretch more, work on these little tedious things maybe a little bit more. Eat better at a younger age. Just all these little things, maybe not on court but all these little off court, knicks and knacks. I’m very disciplined and do take care of these things very rigorously nowadays.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
The best players find a way to win even when they’re not playing their best.

What would be your perfect day?
Winning a Grand Slam.

Do you have any superstitions?
No superstitions. Vigorous routines. I prepare my bag the night before. In the morning when I wake up I have the process that will get everything done. I’m not necessarily super-dependent on it and it’s not a sign if I’ll play well or bad. It’s just a habit that I can go through without thinking about it too much.

What has been your most extravagant (most expensive or biggest) purchase?
Fine art. Probably because you do it because you believe it’s the right thing. There’s no way to calculate it to a numbers thing, which I can really try to maybe be too specific about and over-analyse.

Who do you most admire?
Michael Jordan.

What is your greatest fear?
Under-achieving.

What is your most treasured possession?
My cell phone, just because it’s the thing you go to the most often throughout your day. Even though I would love to be able to live without a cell phone that’s for me the best thing in the world.

If you weren’t a tennis player what would you like to be?
An NBA player. If I wasn’t that – and I was a little more realistic with myself – I would like to probably be working in the financial district, maybe in Europe.

Where is the best place you’ve ever been?
New York does it for me.

Where would you most like to go that you haven’t been to yet?
St. Barts (Caribbean island).

Who would you most like to have as a dinner guest – living or dead?
Steve Jobs and Muhammad Ali. Or Freddie Mercury.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a guy that got the most out of himself and made a positive impact on all those around him.

Barry Wood has reported on the game for over 35 years, attending his first Australian Open at Kooyong before going on to interview almost every top player as well as many others for numerous publications. This feature originally appeared in Australian Tennis Magazine.