Andy Murray vs. Milos Raonic Career Stats and Prediction for 2016 Men's Final
Andy Murray will need to seal a sixth successive victory against Milos Raonic if he's to win the Wimbledon 2016 title on Sunday, where the career stats rule in the direction of the home favourite.
Raonic is appearing in his maiden Grand Slam final at SW19, whereas this will be Murray's third trip to the London decider, three years after he clinched his only Wimbledon crown.
Reigning champion Novak Djokovic fell out of contention following a third-round defeat to Sam Querrey, but Raonic claimed a major result of his own on Friday after beating seven-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer in the semi-final.
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Read on for a breakdown of the career profile between Murray and Raonic, complete with stats and a prediction for the Wimbledon 2016 men's final. All stats and records are provided courtesy of the official ATP World Tour website.
Raonic Struggles in Recent Murray Maulings
Raonic's career history opposite Murray actually got off to a very positive start, winning four of their first six meetings, with each player accounting for one walkover result apiece in 2012. Murray, however, has won seven of their 11 meetings overall.
The Brit has turned the tide and beaten the Canadian in their last five encounters since the ATP World Tour finals in 2014, although Raonic's coach, John McEnroe, feels he's capable of causing an upset, per BBC Sport:
It's clear Murray has evolved and taken his career to new heights in the last four years, and perhaps the greatest strength he's adapted is a lack of fear, as he himself emphasised to BBC Sport's Piers Newbery:
This will be Murray's first-ever major final without either Djokovic or Federer obstructing his path, and recent form against Raonic suggests he can certainly take advantage of that.
Their most recent clash came just last month in the final of the Queen's Club Championships, where Murray triumphed 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3, which could serve as a precursor of what's to come this Sunday.
Murray to Capitalise on Open Field
Opportunities like this won't come around often for Murray, with Djokovic cleared from his path and Raonic edging Federer over five sets on Friday in what's unfolded as something of a dream scenario.
As aforementioned, Murray has already triumphed on grass this year by adding a Queen's title to his collection, and tennis writer David Law spoke positively of what that could mean for his Wimbledon chances:
The Scot beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets on Friday to make Sunday's curtain call, and the Times' Alex Kay-Jelski suggested another serving force in the form of Raonic could require a similar approach:
It's widely held that were Murray born in a different generation, where a phenomenal force such as Djokovic wasn't present, he would have already won several more Grand Slams in his career.
Raonic will undoubtedly be a star to watch in future, particularly with McEnroe marshaling his progress, but Murray was excellent against Berdych and will likely prove too strong for Sunday's No. 6 seed opponent.
Prediction: Andy Murray to win in four sets.
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