Is Milos Raonic Overhyped?

Milos Raonic is seen as the new up-and-coming face of men's tennis.  He is definitely one of the top candidates to win their first major.  So, why do I see him as potentially overhyped?  Because he really has not done anything.

Milos Raonic burst onto the scene at the 2011 Australian Open.  It was here that he made his first Round of 16.  On the way, he beat a couple really good players, Michael Llodra and Mikhail Youzhney.  This was Raonic's coming out party.  This was the tournament where the rest of the field learned that Milos Raonic would be a force for many, many years.  Then, it was a question of whether he could continue his success and grow on it.  And the answer is, well, sort of.

Raonic never could really capitalize on that success.  On a surface on which he should be great on with his serve, grass, in neither 2011 nor 2012 has Raonic really thrived.  During both years, he lost in the Second Round.  How could someone with the serve that Raonic has possibly lose in the Second Round of a major on grass?  At the Olympics, again on grass, he lost in the Second Round to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.  It was 25-23 in the third set, but Raonic was just outlasted by a clearly-better Tsonga.

After losing in the Round of 16 at the 2012 US Open (Raonic was taken to five sets in the First Round), yet again not surpassing that level of play he set for himself following the 2011 Australian Open, it was time for Raonic to improve at the end-of-the-year tournaments.  Unfortunately for Raonic, however, is that he is still struggling.  Playing lowered ranked foe Jarko Nieminem in the Quarterfinals of the PTT Thailand Open, he lost in straight sets, a bad defeat.  Now, you might be like, "Well in your last article you were praising Sara Errani for making the Quarterfinals of a tournament like this!".  And my response would be that Errani is still sort of a surprise, she is having a breakthrough year, but is not expected to make another major final.  For Raonic it is time to perform.

You see, it is all about expectations.  And for Milos Raonic there are high expectations.  But, he has not truly met these grand goals that were given to him by the public.  And for that reason, I believe that Milos Raonic is overhyped.