Milos Raonic has been named ATP Newcomer of the Year for 2011. The award, which is voted on by the players, is given to the player who has made the biggest impact on the tour. Raonic began the season ranked No. 156, and reached a career-high No. 25 in May. The 20-year-old Canadian beat out fellow rising stars Matthew Ebden, Ryan Harrison and Bernard Tomic for the honor.
Raonic enjoyed a breakthrough year. He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in January before capturing his first ATP singles title in San Jose and reaching the final in Memphis the following week during the American indoor hard court season. Despite missing significant time this summer because of a hip injury and subsequent surgery, Raonic still reached two more semis and one quarterfinal in his first full season on tour. He also became the highest ranked Canadian man in tennis history.
Past winners include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Patrick Rafter and John McEnroe. Germany’s Tobias Kamke won the award in 2010.
