The next stop on Milos Raonic’s road to world tennis domination: Roland Garros

In just four short months, Canadian tennis sensation Milos Raonic has vaulted 125 spots in the ATP world rankings, leaping from a lowly 157 to one of the top 25 players on the planet. Currently, he sits in the 28th spot, poised to crack the top 20 with a solid showing at the French Open. But with newfound attention comes increased expectations, and Roland Garros will likely be the Thornhill native’s toughest challenge to date. The 21-year-old has struggled on clay recently—he was bounced in the first round in a pair of warm-up tourneys—and the surface is particularly punishing for bigger players (he stands tall at six feet, five inches). Of course, true to form, Raonic isn’t letting any of that phase him.

From the Canadian Press:

Raonic is making his first Grand Slam appearance as a seeded player, and said he has no expectations about how he’ll fare at the storied tournament.

“I think it’s more trying to enjoy it and trying to soak up the experience being my first time playing as a professional,” Raonic said. “I’m just looking to build off it, it’s a starting point… and it’s a Grand Slam, it’s a big tournament.

“I want to try to play my best, and I think everything that comes from that, if I keep winning, all that kind of stuff, it’s going to be amazing and it’s just going to add onto the experience.”

We hope his best means replicating his run to the round of 16 at the Australian Open in January—only this time, it won’t be a Cinderella story.

• Rising Canadian star Milos Raonic not setting any expectations for French Open [Canadian Press]
• Raonic hopes to soak up experience [Toronto Sun]
• Raonic ready for French Open ‘experience’ [Montreal Gazette]