If Murray wins – he now leads Raonic 5-3 in career meetings and has won their last four – it will not only set him up perfectly for Wimbledon but also earn him a record fifth title in the venerable and distinguished Queen’s event.
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Murray reached the final by beating Marin Cilic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 yesterday in a match that followed much the same pattern as his quarter-final against Kyle Edmund.
Raonic, who uses every inch of his 6ft 5in frame to pepper opponents with thunderbolt serves, had not been broken all week and had held for 55 service games in succession until Murray finally unpicked the door which the 25-year-old Canadian appeared to have locked firmly behind him.
The crucial first break came after a magnificent backhand victor directly from Raonic’s serve, giving him the impetus to streak ahead in the second set.
The American legend led the cheering again as the Canadian smashed a forehand victor past a stranded Murray to take the first set in 52 minutes.
After closing out the set, Murray kept a grip on proceedings by breaking in the opening game of the decider.
“But the third sets today and in the match with Kyle were very high level from my side of the court, and that’s very pleasing because I know my best tennis is in there”.
Murray and his team were planning this week’s vital training schedule just minutes after he won the trophy at Queen’s Club. He famously won the prestigious tennis competition in 2013, becoming the first British man to win the Men’s Singles Championship since Fred Perry, 77 years previously, and will be hoping to reclaim the title again this year.
“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have done that before”, Murray said.
“It was obviously a good first week back together”.
Despite losing to Djokovic in 13 of their past 15 meetings, including this years Australian and French Open finals, Murray believes the return to his camp of coach Ivan Lendl this week can make the difference in the grass-court Grand Slam.
Remarkably, that maiden break of the Raonic serve was followed immediately by a second, the third seed netting a forehand under pressure from a re-energised rival.
“Milos’s serve is the biggest strength in his game so if I get any chances, it’s important to take them when they come, because there’s not going to be too many”.
Raonic’s serve, producing 14 aces in the match, remains his most potent strength but he has been visibly more eager to follow it up with volleys this week, and often to great effect.
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But he didn’t look half so happy as Murray lost the second set and allowed Cilic back in the contest. At the moment, the weather is not so good and only a couple of qualifying matches were played on Monday.
