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Day 8 - (2) Roger Federer v (13) Milos Raonic
Head-to-head
| No surprises here – Federer leads the head-to-head (3-0) as he does with most players. | Raonic may not have won a match in their three previous meetings but he has pushed the No.2 seed all the way with all of their matches going to a deciding set. |
Will win if...
| He stays focused. It would be easy for Federer to look ahead but he’s far too experienced to fall for that trap. Federer is playing well and his game is building nicely. | It’s pretty much a given that Raonic will serve well, so the key for the Canadian is breaking the deceptively difficult Federer serve. Much will depend on Raonic’s return game. |
Heading in...
| Federer held Bernard Tomic at arm’s length for two sets then ran over the top of him in the third in his most impressive performance this year in Melbourne. No doubt Raonic was watching. | Raonic has been one of the quiet achievers of week one, he’s accounted for Jan Hajek, Lukas Rosol and 17th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber on his way to the second week. It’s been a good preparation, but this match is in a different stratosphere. |
Look out for...
| Federer’s serve. It’s not the fastest on the tour – even Fed’s quickest this week, 208 km/h, was almost equaled by Serena Williams. But what’s great about his serve is his placement. The Swiss Maestro could hit a crumb off a matchstick if required. | Raonic’s serve. Obvious but you can’t go past it. The Canadian is one of the big servers on the men’s tour. His quickest this week, 228 km/h, is the equal fastest of the tournament to date. Federer will have his work cut out for him getting Raonic’s rockets back in play. |
Know this stat
| 12/41 break points won. The percentage may not be as high as Federer would like but the Swiss Superstar is giving himself plenty of chances to break his opponents. | 11/27 break points won. While Raonic has broken his opponents’ serve almost as many times as Federer, he hasn’t given himself as many opportunities. |
X-factor
| Court coverage. Smooth as Swiss chocolate, Federer covers the court with ease, chasing down certain winners and sending them back with venom. | Preparation. Raonic spent his off-season in Barcelona where he worked on building strength and speed, and improving his backhand, return game and volleys. This could partly account for why the 22-year-old has dropped just one set in three matches. |