Ace

He’s the finest male singles tennis player in Canadian history, with a serve some say is currently the best in the world. And when Milos Raonic of Thornhill played at the Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals in April, it was this country’s first competition at that level. The 22-year-old’s victory meant another first: Canada’s attendance at September's Davis Cup semifinals. Among the world’s Top 20 players, the six-foot-five Raonic has generated tennis pride in this country while inspiring a crew of superb younger players. In Ace: How Tennis Star Milos Raonic Served His Way to the Top, award-winning Toronto Star writer Oakland Ross teases out the physical attributes, personal characteristics and family dynamics that have made Raonic a force in the sport. A tennis player himself, Ross brings uncommon insight to Canada’s best hope for racquet dominance.

Star Dispatches is a weekly series of quality journalism in ebook form from the newsroom of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper.