Will Milos Raonic’s strategy against Federer guide him to the Wimbledon title?

Roger Federer, then 32, eased past Milos Raonic, then 23, in one hour and 42 minutes to enter his ninth Wimbledon final with a straight-sets victory. Cut to the present and the young Canadian finally came of age to oust the Swiss Master from his ‘second home.’

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With 23 aces and the fastest serve of this tournament at 144mph, to understand Raonic’s match against Federer we must start from the monster serve of the Canadian. Boasting a towering figure of 6 feet and 5 inches, Raonic’s first serve is one of the biggest in history. He went into the match, having played 114 aces through his first five matches and made sure that he continued in the same way.

In the semi-final match, Federer opted to continue with his normal position when receiving Raonic’s serves rather than moving a few feet back or stepping inside the baseline. This allowed the Canadian to continue his routine game and produce aces and big serves. Raonic managed to win 83 percent on first serve and 46 percent on the second serve against the FedEx to trouble him in the match. If we look closely, then we will understand small percentages make a big difference in a game like tennis. Raonic's win percentage on first serves shows a two percent increase from his average for the 2015 season and this made the difference on the day.

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Raonic has always possessed the ability to demolish opponents with his big serves. But, the improvements on his forehand and his giant strides in serving and volleying have been surprising, to say the least. The improvements point to the role of the super-coaches in the stands. The Canadian added 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya in January before welcoming three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe as a grass-court consultant.

Another important element to Raonic’s game in the match against Federer was the body serves he played. With Federer’s backhand returns a weak point of his game, Raonic played 21 body serves against the seven-time champion. The Canadian had only played 34 body serves in the tournament in his last five matches and changed his game to outfox the Swiss Master. The strategy was clear and Federer managed just 17 percent win on first serve returns.

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An unfortunate knee injury earlier in the season had ruined Federer’s plans in the French Open and the knee injury once again came to the fore on Friday during the crucial fifth set of the semi-final. He slipped on the Centre Court surface and called the trainer to examine his knee before continuing the play. Although Federer returned to the court swiftly, the troubled knee had seemingly taken something away. Having played a five-setter two days earlier, the seven-time champion was visibly tired and Raonic did not miss the opportunity. He cashed in on the opportunity and became the first Canadian man to enter a Grand Slam final in the Open-Era.

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Can Raonic do the same against Murray?

Raonic’s strategy against Federer was mainly dependent on his booming serves and the serve and volley approach. But, against Murray, he will have to change it significantly.The World No.2 will also look to negate the serve and volleys by using some passing shots, particularly off the backhand. Mental toughness has been the problem of both the players and the match more than likely will be decided on the same. But, Murray’s experience at the big stage and the support from the home crowd may just help him enough to defeat the Canadian.