Raonic vs Dimitrov: The race to be the first Grand Slam Champion

Dimitrov is the most successful Bulgarian male tennis player, both in terms of ranking reached — he is the only Bulgarian tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10 of the ATP Singles rankings — and prize money won, being the only player to reach $1M and later also $4M.  He applies heavy spin and power on the ball, and John McEnroe considers him to have the best sliced backhand in the game.

Milos Raonic is Canada’s highest ATP-ranked male singles player since computer rankings began in 1973, with a career-high ranking of World No. 6. He is the only Canadian tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10 in ATP Singles Ranking. He is Canada’s highest ATP-ranked male singles player since computer rankings began in 1973, with a career-high ranking of World No. 6. He is the only Canadian tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10 in ATP Singles Ranking.

Milos Raonic is currently ranked No. 7in the Men’s rankings.

Gregor Dimitrov is No. 8.

Is it any surprise that the two of the best, among the current crop of emerging players, are also part of another race: the race to be the first winner of a Grand Slam?

Raonic and Dimitrov, who recently failed to become the first Canadian and Bulgarian respectively to reach a men’s Grand Slam final, have long been regarded as two of the brightest prospects among their generation, but both have taken time to make their mark. Both reached the Semi-finals of the Wimbledon and a Quarterfinal among this year’s Grand Slams. Both are 23-year olds trying hard to bring about a change in the old guard. And yet, the elusive title continues to remain a coveted dream for the two young players.

Pure statistics show us that Dimitrov is leading 3-1 in Head-to-Heads between the two, but while Dimitrov is famous for his backhand, Raonic is equally known for his hard-to-match serves. Both the players are exceptionally good in their own areas, which helps them against other players. So it would be particularly hard to choose between the two at this juncture, but one thing is a given: Raonic and Dimitrov have been around for awhile now and one of them needs to win that title and win it quickly before both of them are made to fade into oblivion by the arrival of a new crop of promising players.