Milos Raonic And Coach Blanco Separate

Written by: Staff on 15th May 2013

Milos Raonic And Coach Blanco Separate

epa03689701 Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic returns the ball to Russia's Nikolay Davydenko during their first round match of the Madrid Open tennis tournament at the La Caja Magica tennis center in Madrid, central Spain, 06 May 2013. EPA/JUAN CARLOS HIDALGO |

Milos Raonic, the powerhouse world no.16, is the latest player to split from his coach with the Canadian’s two and a half years partnership with Spaniard Gaol Blanco coming to an end. This comes after a run of disappointing results in the last two months, only interspersed by a semi-final finish in Barcelona.

Blanco, the 36 year-old Spaniard from Oviedo who reached a world ranking of 40 exactly 15 years ago, was a somewhat unlikely guiding light to Raonic’s meteoric rise up the world tennis scene.

In 2011, aged just 21 the big serving Raonic spiraled from a lowly position of. 102 to no. 37 in the space of a month, after he reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and won his first ATP title at the 2011 SAP Open in San Jose.

The style of his game could not have been more different than that of Blanco who was a stereotypical Spanish clay courter who relied on spin and guile rather than sheer power. However the pair seemed to have a distinct understanding.

Late last year Raonic employed former ATP World Tour staffer Austin Nunn as his personal manager after splitting from SFX and there seemed to be a distance created between him and Blanco.

Disappointing results at the Mutua Madrid Open, where Raonic lost early to Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, brought on the split. This week in Rome’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, 22 year-old Raonic lost to Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round while former top 5 player Ivan Ljubicic was sitting in his coaching box.

Raonic said in a statement: “I’m very grateful for everything Gallo has done with me and my tennis. He helped me grow as a tennis player and as a person.”

“I wouldn’t be where I am without him. We decided mutually it’s time to move in a different coaching direction and I wish him all the best in the future.”

Raonic will move forward towards the French Open without a coach although he will retain Tony Estalella as his strength and conditioning trainer and Joan Ozon (physiotherapist) on his team.

Canada’ tennis journalistic doyen Tom Tebutt wrote in his blog. “There has been a sense of stagnation over the past few months and when that happens in any sport, the coach or manager is always on the hot seat. There has been persistent criticism of Raonic’s return of serve and his backhand, but he has lost several matches in 2013 more because he has simply made bad shots in crucial situations.

“Those are not Blanco’s fault, or errors of basic technique. They are related to confidence and that’s all that really separates Raonic from making another serious move up the rankings. That’s likely the principal reason for him making the change.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Canadian tennis news, Gaol Blanco, Internazionali BNL D'Italia, Miloa Raonic, Mutua Madrid Masters, Spanish tennis news, Sports, Tennis, Tennis Canada