Two grass experts among themselves in Stuttgart: serve King Milos Raonic wants to annoy Roger Federer, darling of the public.
There are matches that you remember for very specific pictures. The duel between Milos Raonic and Roger Federer in the 2016 Wimbledon semi-final was one of those. Federer, not yet in full swing after his meniscus rupture, had somehow made it into the semi-finals on the Holy Turf, leading 3-6, 7-6 (3) and 6-4 against Raonic, and 40-0 shortly before the tiebreak in set four.
And there it came to the picture, which – if it had not come to the Federer-Fabel-Comeback 2017 – could have served for a farewell to the master. Federer slipped away and lay unnerved on the grass, still mentally during the events of sentence four. Shortly afterwards Wimbledon was over for him. (Raonic lost to Andy Murray in the final.)
Shortly afterwards Federer cancelled the rest of the season, and what happened then is tennis history. The return match against Raonic in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017 was won by the Maestro in three sets on his way to the eighth title on Church Road.
10:3 is the internal balance between Federer and Raonic, who also likes to play on grass. And above all: served. The Canadian, christened “Missile Raonic” by Brad Gilbert, stands for a rather simple but all the more effective approach to dealing with the yellow sphere: full tube, and just not too playful, please.
In Stuttgart, the 27-year-old shot a proud 77 aces in four encounters, and the motto will also apply to Federer: The shorter the ball is in the game, the better for Raonic, who finally wants to take off after many injuries.
LeoVegas Sport, one of Germany’s leading sports betting providers, sees Federer, the new number one from Monday, in an advantage: odds 1.42 for a victory for the Swiss, odds 2.88 for a Raonic triumph.
And who do you think you can trust to win in Stuttgart? Just place your bets at LeoVegas Sportsbook!
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