Canada’s Milos Raonic defied the odds Friday as he defeated Swiss tennis champ Roger Federer in a tense five-set match, a historic win that makes Raonic the first Canadian man to ever reach the Wimbledon finals.
Raonic will face Scotland’s Andy Murray at the Grand Slam final on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. Ahead of the much-anticipated match-up, here’s a brief glimpse at each player’s rise to the top of tennis’ biggest event.
MILOS RAONIC
Age: 25
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., is currently ranked 7th in the world, with a 2016 match record of 31-8.
While he has eight career singles titles under his belt, he has never won a Grand Slam.
Raonic did reach the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this year – the first Canadian man to do so – but lost to Andy Murray in five sets.
He also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014, but fell to Roger Federer.
Raonic, who recently added John McEnroe to his coaching team, told the Canadian Press earlier this year he believes he has improved his all-round game and learned how to make adjustments when things aren't going his way.
"It's a very different story this year," Raonic said. "I feel like I've done all the right things and put myself in position. Now is the opportunity to make it count."
ANDY MURRAY
Age: 29
Murray, from Glasgow, Scotland, is currently ranked 2nd in the world, and has a 2016 match record of 33-6.
He has an impressive 27 career singles titles to his name, including the U.S. Open in 2012. He also won Wimbledon in 2013, becoming the first British man in 77 years to win that title.
He is also only the second British player to have reached the final of all four Grand Slam majors.
But Murray has also lost eight major finals, including to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January and at the French Open this month.
When Murray won the Italian Open in May, he dedicated the title to his then-three-month-old daughter, Sophia Olivia.
"I feel like that's what I'm playing for now, so that in a few years, hopefully, she can be proud of what I have achieved," he said.
