Canada's Milos Raonic, right, talks with his coach Galo Blanco from Spain during a practice session April 20, 2011 during the Spanish Open in Barcelona.Albert Gea for the Globe and Mail
When Milos Raonic arrived to play at the Monte Carlo Country Club for the first time last month, his coach Galo Blanco urged the rising Canadian tennis star to climb to the top of the seats at the majestic venue and soak in the view of the pristine clay centre court that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.
Blanco, a former pro from Spain who retired in 2006, remembers what it's like to be a player, training, competing, globe-trotting for months on end, and once in a while, taking pause to drink in the stunning views along the way.
"This was probably the most spectacular thing, just knowing where I was, absorbing, understanding I'm actually here playing," Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., recounted.
It was a small bit of advice that Raonic remembers and yet another sign that Blanco really understands the 20-year-old player. They have only been working together since last November, including a productive off-season in Spain, but they have engineered a rapid rise up the world rankings in Raonic's first year of continuous play on the full ATP World Tour.
"On the court, I'm very tough with him, and I'm his coach. But when we're finished on the court, I'm his friend, and I listen to him," said 34-year-old Blanco, recalling a golfing outing the two shared during their travels to Indian Wells, Calif., and a safari visit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
"You're travelling, it's just you and your coach, your family is not there, your girlfriend is not there, and you're far away from home. I don't think this is the case with many players and coaches, but for us, being friends works."
Ranked No. 28 in the world, the 6-foot-5 Raonic has already bypassed Blanco's career-best No. 40. As a player, 5-foot-8 Blanco had a 122-175 career record but had victories over players such as Tim Henman, and Raonic's idol, Pete Sampras. He reached the quarter-finals of the 1997 French Open but today regrets the feelings of satisfaction that ultimately limited his playing career, a lesson he passes on to Raonic.
"That was one of my biggest problems as a player - I always had goals and I always reached the goals and then I relaxed," said Blanco, who repeatedly tells Raonic to be better today than he was yesterday. "After you improve a lot on the ranking like Milos has done in three months, it's easy to say, 'I'm done, what I'm doing is fantastic and I don't need to work any more.'"
At a recent practice session in Barcelona, the Canadian's white shoes were caked in red powder as he slid from side to side across the court, chasing down balls under Blanco's watchful eye. Raonic is new to clay, his only real experience being a few weeks on it during the Futures Tour two years ago. He's learning that a gorgeous forehand that finishes a point on the hard court doesn't do the same trick on the red stuff. One more ball is likely coming back. Luckily, this is Blanco's favourite surface.
"He has taught me a lot from his experience as a player on tour and made the transition for me a lot easier, especially here on clay, there is a lot he can teach me," Raonic said after the practice. "He can pinpoint things I don't even see. On the clay, there's still so much information I need to absorb."
While the rest of the tennis-loving world might dote on Raonic's speedy serves, Blanco does anything but, standing close in practice to eyeball the ball's path as the Canadian lines up and rifles them across the net repeatedly. Blanco doesn't care what speeds Raonic registers on his shots. He reminds Raonic that a serve down the line at 210 kilometres an hour is better than a bullet at 250 km/h down the middle of the court.
"The problem was before he was serving only hard - boom, boom, boom, only bombs," Blanco said. "Now he knows how to mix the serves. Now he's playing unbelievable returners like [David]Ferrer, so this is the more important thing."
When the season is over, the two will open an envelope they sealed during a friendly bet last January containing their predictions for Raonic's ranking at the end of the season. The loser will treat everyone, including coaches and family, to an expensive dinner in the country of the winner's choice. It will be a celebration no matter who pays.
"He really cares. It's not just professional, and it isn't just a paycheque for him - it's important to him, and he knows it's important to have someone to turn to, to talk to," Raonic said about the coach with whom he's been working since November. "We enjoy going places and spending time together. It has to be fun to be on tour because it's not easy to be on the road that many weeks."